Coronavirus contingency plans could see restrictions return repeatedly over the next five years.
Draft plans, seen by The Mirror, are designed to protect the country against further waves of the virus.
They feature a range of actions which could be taken including making face masks mandatory again and bringing back social distancing, in the event of further outbreaks.
Read more: How many Covid-19 cases are there near you as the North East records country's worst rates
Ministers might be given powers to choose which restrictions were needed over winter, depending on the scale of infections and whether hospitals were under pressure.
And the Government may be able to once again order measures like working from home or limits on indoor gatherings
It comes as the Prime Minister is expected to announce an end to restrictions on July 19 - although Mr Johnson warned yesterday that some "extra precautions" may be needed.
It's thought officials believe a contingency plan may help prevent another full lockdown once enough people have received two doses of the vaccine.
The NHS has already been given the go-ahead to plan a round of booster vaccines for the most vulnerable ahead of the winter, as scientists believe Covid-19 will remain part of life for years to come as countries learn to cope with it.
Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock is believed to have been involved in the latest plans before he quit over breaking lockdown rules by kissing an aide.
According to The Mirror's story, Chris Wormald, the top civil servant at the Department of Health, is said to be confident that the new Health Secretary Sajid Javid can be convinced the five-year plan is needed.
But it could anger some Tory backbenchers who want a permanent end to restrictions as soon as possible.
Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "On Monday, Sajid Javid was unable to rule out winter restrictions when pressed by MPs.
"If his team is drawing up a winter restriction plan then the Health Secretary should share it with the public."
But a Department of Health spokesman said: “We do not recognise this story and do not know where it has come from.”
It's widely understood that winter is likely to be tough for the NHS and for vulnerable people because of Covid-19. Prof Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, told Cabinet ministers this week that while he agreed with a summer reopening but preparations should be made for a difficult winter.
We may find out more when Mr Johnson sets out what step four on the roadmap out of lockdown will look like.
The Prime Minister warned on Thursday that some "extra precautions" may still be needed.
He urged parents and pupils to be patient over calls to end self-isolation for whole school bubbles before the autumn term.
"I know how impatient people are to get back to total normality, as indeed am I," he told reporters.
"But I think I've said it before, we'll be wanting to go back to a world that is as close to the status quo as possible. Try to get back to life as close to it was before Covid.
"But there may be some things we have to do, extra precautions that we have to take, but I'll be setting them out."
As reopening approaches, the North East currently has the highest rate of Covid-19 cases in the country, increasing 100% on the previous week to 349.8 per 100,000 people.
However, although the country has seen a "big increase in cases", Mr Johnson said this was "not translating into a big increase in serious illness and deaths".
He said it looked "ever clearer" that the vaccination programme had "broken the link between infection and mortality".
He added: "That gives us the scope, we think, on the 19th, to go ahead cautiously and irreversibly".
