Number 10 has warned the nation not to go sunbathing or out to celebrate VE Day ahead of a sunny bank holiday Friday.
The government is due to announce an easing of some of the coronavirus lockdown measures on Sunday but officials are worried that the public might be tempted to flaunt the rules ahead of time.
With an extra day off this weekend and temperatures of 20C+ forecast they are concerned that sunbathing and meeting friends and family in the park may prove too tempting for Brits who have now been cooped up for six weeks.
Today is the legal deadline to review the lockdown every three weeks.
But the UK government made clear restrictions remain in place until any announcement on Sunday.
Asked if people should go sunbathing this weekend, the spokesman said: "The social distancing rules remain in place and we would ask everyone to respect them, just as they have so far."
Downing Street moved to clarify the situation after the Prime Minister revealed he would be lifting some measures in just three days' time "if possible".
Mr Johnson will outline a "roadmap" at 7pm on Sunday spelling out how lockdown might be relaxed over several months.
But after a flurry of leaks overnight, including to the Mirror, No10 insisted the vast majority of changes would not happen immediately.
Any changes to the UK lockdown this Monday will be "very limited" and could be reversed if the virus spikes, Boris Johnson's spokesman insisted today.
Mr Johnson told his Cabinet today he would use "maximum caution" and "track" each stage of lifting restrictions before moving on to the next one.
His spokesman told journalists: "Any easements to the guidelines next week will be very limited.
"We are at a critical moment in the fight against the virus and we will not do anything which risks throwing away the efforts and the sacrifices of the British public.”
Describing the Cabinet meeting this morning, his spokesman added: “The Prime Minister said that while considering whether there could be any easements the existing guidelines, we are not going to do anything that risks a second peak.
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“We will advance with maximum caution in order to protect the NHS and save lives.
“We will be guided at every step by the science and the data.
“We will closely track the impact of any easing of the social distancing measures and will not hesitate to tighten the rules as required.”
