Hopes of lifting restrictions by May are looking up after new data showed Britain’s outbreak is shrinking every 14 to 17 days.
Random swab testing by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggested positive Covid-19 cases in England had fallen by almost a fifth in a week.
Prof Neil Ferguson - dubbed Britain’s “Professor Lockdown” - said on current trends the country could see pubs and restaurants reopened by May.
Government sources admitted they were “very upbeat” about data released on Friday including a fall in the UK’s ‘R’ reproductive number.