Golfers, gardeners and anglers will be the first to benefit when Boris Johnson announces a limited easing of lockdown on Sunday night.
And schools will begin a phased reopening at the start of June, beginning with Year 6 primary leavers.
But to deter those tempted to breach social distancing rules fines will be hiked from £60 to £100 and rise to £3,200 for serial offenders.
Garden centres, repair shops and hardware stores will be allowed to reopen from Monday. And non-contact sports such as golf and fishing are to resume soon after that.
The details emerged as:
- The UK death toll rose 346 to 31,587.
- Thousands of British doctors revealed they had run out of PPE.
- US doctors began trialling a drug used for schizophrenia after tests showed it blocked Covid-19 in mice.
Worrying figures showed at least 19 women were killed in domestic violence attacks during the first six weeks of lockdown.
The PM is to give further details of his roadmap out of lockdown in a televised address to the nation at 7pm – after a COBRA meeting to finalise details this afternoon.
His lockdown announcement in March attracted an audience of 27 million.
A No10 source said: “This is a critical moment. We will proceed with maximum caution.
“We must not risk a second peak which might overwhelm the NHS.”
Safety guidance for workplaces will be published this week, though for most working from home will continue. Only outdoor working such as construction will be encouraged.
Mr Johnson will confirm all visitors to the UK must quarantine for 14 days – provoking howls of anguish from aviation and tourism sectors.
Commons Home Affairs Committee chair Yvette Cooper said: “It appears the Government is playing catch-up at the borders. Other countries are operating checks or isolation even while their travel numbers are low.”
The plan for a staggered return of schools and colleges is to have them up and running before the summer holidays at the end of July so parents can go back to work.
But that will depend on how the Year 6 return goes.
Pupils may either have to attend on alternate days or be taught in smaller groups in different classrooms.
On the economy, Chancellor Rishi Sunak is now working on ending the furlough scheme which pays 80 per cent of the wages – up to £2,500 a month – of the 6.3 million workers who have been laid off.
He may drop the subsidy to 60 per cent to reduce the £8billion a month bill, or allow workers to do some hours as they do in Germany, France, Sweden and Canada.
The plan is to review each phase of lifting of restrictions every two weeks and clamp down again if infection rates rise.
The early stages will see the NHS resume regular appointments and treatments which were abandoned when the pandemic began.
Families and friends may then be allowed to meet in small groups of no more than four.
Later this summer outdoor bars and cafés could reopen, along with businesses in which staff can safely keep a social distance.
And more shops will be able to trade, though shopping centres are likely to remain shut. As infection rates keep going down, small weddings and baptisms will be allowed and barbers and hairdressers will be able to start work again.
Cinemas and museums could open with social distancing and Premier League matches take place behind closed doors.
But that prospect appalled West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, who fears fans will gather at stadiums.
He added: “I can’t see how matches could take place without significant risk to fans, local people and brave police officers.”
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned at the No10 update that public transport will not be able to cope with a return to work and people will have to walk or cycle.
And if more workers took their cars cities would soon become gridlocked.
He offered rented e-scooters for the whole country instead.
The Transport Secretary said social distancing on buses and trains means they will only be able to carry one in 10 of the passengers they usually do.
He promised £2billion to make roads safer for pedestrians and cyclists and to create bus and bike-only streets within weeks.
GPs could even prescribe bicycles.
And more people using them would maintain the clean air of lockdown – cutting the 20,000 annual deaths from pollution.
Mr Shapps added: “This is an opportunity to make us fitter mentally and physically.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Everyone who can work from home must continue to. For those who must travel to work, enabling more people to walk and cycle will be critical.”
And David Renard, of the Local Government Association, added: “This new way of travelling is likely to become part of everyday life once the coronavirus measures are lifted and beyond.”
But Shadow Green Transport Minister Kerry McCarthy said: “We need a comprehensive plan to get our public transport moving again especially for those that can’t cycle to work.”
Mr Shapps was asked by the Sunday Mirror how parents could cycle to work for the day before schools were fully up and running and wrap-around childcare such as breakfast and after-school clubs were available.
The Cabinet minister said: “People have found a lot of different ways of working.
“Many more people than ever thought it was possible have discovered they’ve been able to work from home.
“I imagine quite a lot of that will continue for quite some time.”
Although there are hopes holidaymakers may be able to jet abroad for longed-for breaks in August, Mr Shapps was cautious.
He said: “In countries where people might normally visit they’re also not accepting people in many cases. So it’s difficult to give advice.
“We will have to see how the reproductive rate of Covid-19 proceeds before we’ll know how that will look in the summer.”
