One of the country's top medics has suggested the coronavirus lockdown may not be completely lifted until a cure is found. NHS England medical director Stephen Powis was quizzed over whether some restrictions might still be needed 18 months from now.
He said: "So this was never going to be a sprint over a few weeks, this is going to be a longer race. It is going to be a marathon. “The job of scientists and doctors is to provide the Government with the best possible strategies to manage this virus over the months to come, and probably over longer than months. "Vaccines take months to develop, we need to make sure that they are safe and effective, and then of course they need to be manufactured and deployed.