This week will see the government announce their decision on the UK's coronavirus lockdown.
It has been three weeks since Boris Johnson first put the country on hold and the restrictions in place are supposed to be reviewed at regular intervals so they can be adjusted according to the situation.
Much has happened in the initial lockdown period, thousands have died from Covid-19 and life as we know it has changed beyond recognition as Brits are only allowed out if they must travel for key work, to buy essentials or for exercise once a day.
There is little to no chance of the government doing anything but extending the lockdown as the UK has not yet passed the peak of the pandemic and it would not be wise to end protective measures before we have borne the brunt of the virus.
What's going on with the lockdown and how is everyone feeling about the situation?
The Claim
The Daily Express reports a poll of Britons shows the public supports extending the lockdown by an overwhelming majority.
Of those polled 91 per cent said they would back continuing the current restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
People are struggling with the lockdown but they largely understand it is a necessary measure to protect the public from Covid-19 and needs to be kept in place for an extended period of time in order to save lives.
Sir Patrick Vallance, the government's chief scientific officer, suggested the lockdown would last for another month at the very least. He warned that the UK was likely still building towards the peak of the pandemic and would hit a plateau that could last for two to three weeks.
It's not safe to relax the lockdown until the experts are convinced the UK is beyond the worst and isn't going to experience a second spike in cases caused by restrictions being lifted.
Three weeks from now the UK is expected to be in the middle of the coronavirus peak, meaning the decision will almost certainly be made to extend the lockdown again. Another three weeks after that could see the UK past the peak but still too soon to talk about relaxing anything.
Job losses and the economic cost of the lockdown has led to calls for the government to draw up plans which would see the UK get back up and running as soon as possible, but for now the public currently supports restrictions staying in place.
The Counter Claim
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab is currently leading the government while Boris Johnson continues his recovery from the coronavirus at Chequers, the prime minister's country house.
Raab said there was evidence that the lockdown was working but stressed that the public needed to stay focused for it to keep protecting people.
The longer the lockdown goes on the larger the concern that people will start breaking the rules grows.
Ministers believe the first three weeks of lockdown have been largely successful at protecting the public from the coronavirus but isolation will take a longer toll as time goes by.
Professor Linda Bauld of the University of Edinburgh said "the social, economic and health effects of lockdown are accumulating" and warned of a "tipping point" where people will start to think the time to end the lockdown should come.
Raab has said this is not the time to talk about relaxing the lockdown but Professor Bauld suggests the government will have to provide the public with new information at some point or run the risk of people starting to lose trust.
As long as the public knows why the lockdown is in place the vast majority will support it.
The Facts
Once again it must be stressed that ending the lockdown will not be a sudden occurrence where the government and scientific experts decide the appropriate time has come where everything can suddenly return to normal.
It will be a slow, steady process where restrictions are repealed with caution and could be reimposed if the situation worsens once again.
The effectiveness of social distancing measures are being evaluated by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
It would be a mistake to think the lockdown is going to be over in a matter of weeks, normal life will be disrupted for months and simply lifting the lockdown after things appear to have settled down will just lead to a second peak which puts more lives at risk.
The most significant step towards ending social distancing and returning to a normal life would be the development of a vaccine, essentially allowing people to develop an immunity to the coronavirus without the risk of being killed by it.
Raab is expected to make his announcement on Thursday, meaning the lockdown will last until May 7 at the very least in the unlikely event that they decide to extend it only once. It is far more likely that the lockdown will be extended several times.
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