Boris Johnson said on March 19 that he was confident the UK could "turn the tide" on coronavirus within 12 weeks.

But the truth is that nobody knows how long the current Covid-19 crisis is going to last - or when we'll all be able to leave our homes without restrictions.

And that's not the only unanswered question. There are many others that people are asking, including some that the Government really should know the answer to.

Here are some of the top questions:

Should we wear facemasks?

Facemasks were common in China even before the coronavirus outbreak. And in recent months, Chinese citizens have been wearing masks to try to prevent the virus spreading. Even Chinese President Xi Jingpeng was pictured wearing one, during a visit to Hubei province, the centre of the outbreak.

But in the UK, Government scientists have advised that facemasks don't help. The same advice was offered by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Now, however, it's been reported that the WHO is considering changing its advice and telling us to wear masks after all.

How will we know when it's safe to end the lockdown?

It would be good to know when the lockdown is going to end. But perhaps that's a question that really can't be answered. Scientists can attempt to make predictions, but nobody can see the future.

However, there is another question which the Government should have some sort of answer to. What are they waiting for before they end the lockdown? Will it be when the rate of infection slows down? Or are they going to wait until there are no new cases at all?

Maybe the plan is to keep the lockdown going until a vaccine has been developed - or until a large proportion of the population has been tested.

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Why is the testing so slow?

On Thursday, April 2, the Government is announcing a five-point plan to speed up testing. But it admits testing hasn't been happening quickly enough so far.

Around 10,400 tests took place on Wednesday. But back on March 18, Boris Johnson said he wanted at least 25,000 tests every day, so we're not meeting that target.

The Government says the problem is a shortage of chemicals, known as reagents, needed for the tests. But why then is Germany able to carry out around 100,000 tests a day?

It's been suggested that Germany has the right type of biotech companies. Fair enough, but no Government Minister has publicly offered this explanation or any other explanation.

Who will get a test?

The Government places great importance on tests which tell you whether you had coronavirus in the past, and are now probably immune. This is a different type of test to the one that tells you whether you actually have it now.

That's something a lot of us would like to know. Who will get these tests, when they are finally available? Will they be free?

Did the Government change strategies?

Some comments by Government officials suggest that the original plan was to allow the virus to pass through the population until enough people had caught it, and recovered, for the UK as a whole to develop "herd immunity". That's when enough people are immune to prevent the virus from reaching those who are not.

But then there seemed to be a change of policy, with the Government taking tougher measures to stop the virus spreading.

Did the Government change its policy? And while the concept of herd immunity seems to make some people angry, is there any other way of stopping the virus before a vaccine is developed?

When will we have a vaccine?

Okay, this is the type of question nobody can answer, except to say "as soon as possible". Still, it would be good to know.

What happens to children who miss school?

Some people have suggested schools should open during the summer holidays (assuming the lockdown is over by then) so that pupils can catch up. Is there any plan for pupils who are missing out?

How many emergency NHS hospitals will there be?

There are coronavirus hospitals in London, Birmingham and Manchester, as well as Scotland and Wales. NHS England has said it is looking at other sites too. It remains to be seen whether there be one in the North East.