Brits have spent the best part of two months on lockdown as the battle against coronavirus continues.
The drastic measures have been imposed to try and slow the spread of the killer virus which has officially claimed the lives of 34,796 people in the UK so far.
The government has said that the UK is past the peak of the virus, however that doesn’t mean the lockdown will end immediately.
Below is a summary of the key dates so far and how lockdown can come to an end.
When did lockdown start?
Britain has been on lockdown since March 23 when Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the country: “From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction - you must stay at home.”
Backed up by the ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ slogan, Brits were only allowed to leave their homes for:
- Buying essentials
- One form of exercise - alone or with someone they lived with
- Medical reasons (e.g. picking up prescriptions)
- Travelling to and from work if they couldn’t work from home
Easing the lockdown
On May 10 the UK government started releasing details about its roadmap towards lifting lockdown restrictions.
The ‘Stay Home’ messaging was replaced with ‘Stay Alert, Control the Virus, Save Lives’, which has been criticised and described as confusing and vague.
The new line, and subsequent changes outlined below, only apply to England, with the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sticking to the previous message and lockdown rules.
However, from last week those in England could meet one other person from another household in a public place, providing they stayed two metres apart.
People can also go for unlimited amounts of exercise - although playing football and team sports is still banned, drive further afield to other parts of England - though it must be a day trip - and go swimming in lakes or the sea.
Those who can’t work from home are also encouraged to return to their workplace, avoiding public transport where possible.
However visits to homes of friends and family are still banned.
How long will lockdown last?
The roadmap identifies three stages, starting with the phased reopening of schools and non-essential shops from June 1.
Garden centres have already reopened but pubs, bars and restaurants will remain closed.
Although Boris Johnson said a third stage in the roadmap - provisionally staring on July 4 - included some hospitality business reopening, it’s thought these could be outdoor cafes where groups can remain 2m apart.
Cinemas and places of worship could reopen from July, if people can stay apart, while gyms and indoor swimming pools are set to remain closed.
All timings are conditional on the virus being brought down to an acceptable level in the UK and could all be pushed back.
However, on Monday the PM reportedly suggested he wants the UK to return to "near-normality" by the end of July.
Mr Johnson is understood to have said he wants a fast-track relaxation of lockdown restrictions, but also insisted he will only take "grandmother steps" and warned tighter measures will be re-instated if coronavirus infections surge again.
Shielding
The first easing of the lockdown restrictions do not apply to those who are shielding for 12 weeks.
The 1.5million very vulnerable people who have received letters or phone calls telling them to stay at home for 12 weeks must continue to follow those rules.
Meanwhile those over 70 - who were initially advised to stay as home as much as possible - can enjoy a bit more freedom, but should continue to minimise contact with people from other households.
Fines
The initial fine for breaking lockdown rules stood at £60.
However the starting point for a first offence is now £100, although that will be halved to £50 if paid within 14 days.
Repeat offenders will see their fines double on each subsequent offence, with a maximum penalty of £3,200 potentially imposed.
It's been revealed that police had issued 14,000 fines by the time restrictions began to be lifted in England last week.
Eighty per cent of the fines were given to men and more than half were issued to people under 30.
