After meeting his cabinet virtually, Boris Johnson will seek to explain to the public how and why, if not exactly when, they will make the decisions that are vital, not just to our health, but the country’s suffering economy too.

He’ll restate the hurdles that must be passed before any restrictions are lifted, including making sure the NHS can cope, with tests, and equipment, and a consistent fall in the death rate.

Crucially he will emphasise the importance of the so-called “R” rate of infection – in other words, the extent to which people with the virus are passing it on.

That rate has come down significantly since the lockdown was imposed, slowing the spread of the disease. But Mr Johnson will outline how the “R” rate will be a crucial yardstick of whether to lift, or even reinstate, restrictions as the weeks go on.

While fraying at the edges perhaps, ministers believe public support for the restrictions is holding. But today they’ll seek to supply at least some of the demand from business, the opposition and some Conservative MPs for more clarity about what might be ahead.

With the death toll still rising though, Mr Johnson is also likely to face questions about what is happening in care homes, and with protective medical equipment in the here and now.