UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said that the country could return to normality from the coronavirus outbreak by Christmas.
Johnson sketched out a timetable for easing the remaining lockdown measures in England, including lifting homeworking guidance and reopening sports stadiums and live theatre.
“It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November, at the earliest, possibly in time for Christmas,” he said.
Current government guidance is for employees to work from home where they can.
But under the latest proposals, Johnson said employers can have “more discretion” and discuss with workers whether it is safe to return to the office from August 1.
Johnson also said the state-run National Health Service (NHS) would receive an extra 3 billion pound ($3.8 billion, 3.3 million euros) to prepare for a possible winter spike in cases.
“Even as we plan for the worst, I strongly believe we should also hope for the best,” he added.
Fears of a second wave of infections were raised this week when scientists said nearly 120,000 people could die in hospitals alone from September to June next year.
The warning was put forward as a “reasonable worst-case scenario” if no counter-measures were put in place.
Johnson acknowledged the risks of reopening, particularly for winter when the NHS is often under greater strain because of seasonal flu outbreaks.
Mass gatherings have been banned since March, and the showpiece English Premier League has been played behind closed doors, without fans, since it resumed.
Late June, the government had decided to ditch a 14-day quarantine period for people arriving from countries it deems to be lower risk for COVID-19.
The quarantine policy proposed on June 8 people arriving in the country have to go into self-isolation at a designated address for 14 days as a condition of being allowed through frontier posts.
Amid criticism from opposition politicians, Home Secretary Priti Patel insisted that the measure was proportionate and was aimed at preventing COVID-19 being brought into the UK from other countries at a time when coronavirus cases were falling,.
UK has seen more than 45,000 deaths in the outbreak — the worst in Europe — leading to criticism about the government approach to tackle the crisis.
(With inputs from agency)