This week the Government will respond to mounting pressure to reveal how the lockdown will be wound down. Talks with the Labour Party are due in the next couple of days, and the public can expect an announcement of sorts by the end of the week. In yesterday’s Downing Street address, the Prime Minister said:

“the government will be saying much more about [winding down the lockdown] in the coming days and I want to serve notice now that these decisions will be taken with the maximum possible transparency”

Senior figures had previously taken great pains to not reveal wind down thinking in order to not ‘complicate communications’. It appears the Government has now decided that the public is grown up enough to hear a plan…

Widespread speculation of liberalisation measures include allowing non-essential shops to open, albeit with strict social distancing measures, as well as allowing an expanded definition of a household to facilitate people being able to see some friends and family.

The Government is also expected to U-turn on face masks, perhaps to promote the public wear home made non-medical masks when out and about following the path of many other Western countries. This week Germany went from not recommending masks to fining citizens who do not wear one. The US is notably promoting wearing them too. This morning Matt Hancock emphasised social distancing is more “important” than masks, already a slight shift in tone from the Government’s earlier impression that masks do not work. Only a matter of time…