Alongside the four-step roadmap plan, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched a series of reviews – including one to consider whether people should be able to show if they have had a Covid-19 vaccine or a negative test.
It will look at whether “Covid status certification” could help reopen the economy by allowing people who have received a jab or a negative test result to do things which would not be allowed for those who could not prove their status.
Officials recognise that there are moral and ethical questions as well as practical ones for any such move, which has been highly controversial in Westminster.
A research programme will use pilot schemes involving testing and other measures to run events with larger crowd sizes.
International travel rules will also be reviewed, with May 17 targeted as the earliest possible date for a foreign holiday.
A further piece of work to conclude by June 21 will examine social distancing requirements, the use of face masks and requirements to work from home.
So the earliest point the advice to work from home may be lifted in England is in four months' time.
The roadmap said: "Businesses must also continue to take necessary precautions as restrictions ease. The overwhelming majority of businesses that remained open during the pandemic did so in a Covid-secure way.
"The government will update Covid-secure guidance to provide further advice on how businesses can improve fresh air flow in indoor workplaces and introduce regular testing to reduce risk."
And the government said it will continue to monitor existing enforcement powers and modify them if necessary.
The police and local authorities are able to take action against people who break the law and apply sanctions for those businesses that are not operating safely, it warned.
