outlines a "conditional plan" to reopen society, but says it is "not the time simply to end the lockdown this week", and describes the plans as "the first careful steps to modify our measures". those who cannot work from home, such as construction workers and those in manufacturing, are encouraged to return to work from the following day, but to avoid public transport if possible. the guidance on the number of outdoor exercise periods will be lifted from wednesday 13 may. outlining future easing of restrictions, johnson says "step two" – no sooner than 1 june – would include reopening some shops and the return of primary school pupils, beginning with reception, year 1 and year 6; and that secondary pupils facing exams next year would get some time in school before the summer holiday. "step three" – at the earliest by july – would begin the reopening of the hospitality industry and other public places. johnson also says that passengers arriving into the uk on international flights (apart from those from the republic of ireland) will soon be asked to go into quarantine for fourteen days. covid-19 alert level system level meaning 5 as level 4 and there is a material risk of healthcare services being overwhelmed 4 a covid-19 epidemic is in general circulation; transmission is high or rising exponentially 3 a covid-19 epidemic is in general circulation 2 covid-19 is present in the uk, but the number of cases and transmission is low 1 covid-19 no longer present in the uk 11 may the uk government publishes a 50-page document setting out further details of the phases for lifting the lockdown restrictions. boris johnson gives further details as he makes his first statement on the virus to parliament. amid concerns about the safety of people returning to work, johnson tells the downing street daily briefing he is not expecting a "sudden big flood" of people returning to work, and that companies will have to prove they have introduced safety measures before they can reopen. the uk government advises people in england to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not possible, such as on public transport and in shops. air passengers arriving on flights from france will also be exempt from new quarantine rules. sir david norgrove, chair of the uk statistics authority, writes to matt hancock seeking clarity on the targets for the number of tests, and the reporting of the number carried out each day. teaching unions express their concern at government plans to reopen schools on 1 june, describing them as "reckless" and unsafe. fertility clinics can apply to the human fertilisation and embryology authority to re-open. 12 may figures released by the office for national statistics and the devolved administrations indicate the death toll from covid-19 exceeds 40,000 – including almost 11,000 care home residents – although week-by-week numbers continue to fall. in care homes in england and wales, the year-to-date covid-19 total reaches 8,312 but the weekly number (to 1 may) shows a decrease for the first time since the start of the pandemic. chancellor rishi sunak extends the uk's furlough scheme until october, with employees continuing to receive 80% of their monthly wages up to £2,500. a quarter of the workforce, some 7.5 million people, are now covered by the scheme, costing £14bn a month. 13 may the health protection (covid-19, restrictions) (england) (amendment no. 2) regulations 2020 (si 500) come into effect, allowing the re-opening of garden centres, sports courts and recycling centres. in addition to outdoor exercise, open-air recreation is also permitted with no more than one member of another household. government announcements gloss these with the (non-enforceable) requirement that social distancing must be practised. house moves and viewings are also permitted. after figures indicate the uk economy shrank by 2% in the first three months of 2020 and is shrinking at the fastest rate since the late 2000s global recession, chancellor rishi sunak says it is "very likely" the country is in a "significant recession". creamfields, scheduled for 27–30 august, announces the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the pandemic. 14 may a total of 126,064 tests for covid-19 have been conducted in the most recent 24 hour period, the highest number to date. figures compiled by nhs england giving a breakdown of underlying health conditions among covid-19 hospital fatalities between 31 march and 12 may indicate one in four had diabetes. other common health conditions were dementia (18%), serious breathing problems (15%), chronic kidney disease (14%), and ischaemic heart disease (10%). the office for national statistics publishes results of the early phase of a survey programme in england. from swab tests between 27 april and 10 may, they estimate that 148,000 people, or 0.27% of the population, had covid-19 at any given time during those two weeks (95% confidence interval: 94,000 to 222,000). this implies roughly 10,000 new cases per day. no significant difference is found between broad age groups. their estimate for people working in healthcare or social care is higher, at 1.33% (confidence interval: 0.39% to 3.28%). the survey does not include people in hospital or care homes, where rates of infection are likely to be higher still. public health england approves a blood test developed by roche diagnostics that can detect covid-19 antibodies. the office for budget responsibility forecasts the cost to government of combating covid-19 pandemic has risen to £123.2bn, with annual borrowing estimated to be 15.2% of the uk economy. this figure is the highest annual borrowing since the end of world war ii when it stood at 22.1%. the bbc announces plans to resume the filming of eastenders and top gear in june, with cast and crew practising social distancing, and doing their own hair and makeup. the uk stages its eighth clap for our carers event at 8pm. 15 may boris johnson allegedly attends a party in downing street. government scientific advice says that the r number has increased slightly from between 0.5 and 0.9 to between 0.7 and 1.0, closer to the rate at which infections could start to exponentially increase. the figures are said to be "consistent with" the fall in cases in the community and the rise of cases in care homes, but are based on data from three weeks previously, so the effect of easing the lockdown measures is unknown. government scientists and teaching unions hold talks in a bid to safely reopen schools. the british medical association voices its support for the unions over their concerns about the safety of resuming classes. the places of worship task force, a body consisting of leading members of faith groups and government representatives, has its inaugural meeting. the group was established in response to boris johnson's 10 may address, in which he said religious buildings could reopen by 4 july, and aims to examine how this can happen safely. 16 may anne longfield, the children's commissioner for england, urges the government and teaching unions to "stop squabbling and agree a plan" to reopen schools, warning that the closure of schools is negatively affecting disadvantaged children. covid-19 protests involving the gathering of people are held at venues around the uk, including hyde park in london, and glasgow green in glasgow. 17 may in an article for the mail on sunday, boris johnson acknowledges frustrations with the government's "stay alert" message for england, but urges the public to be patient as the lockdown measures are eased. the number of recorded deaths rises by 170 to 34,636. the daily increase is the lowest since the day after the lockdown restrictions were introduced. at the downing street daily briefing, business secretary alok sharma announces a further £84m of funding to help mass-produce a covid-19 vaccine being trialled by the university of oxford and that should be available by september. he also tells the briefing that oxford have secured an agreement with pharmaceutical company astrazeneca to manufacture the vaccine, and distributed it to the uk first. 18 may rail operators begin running more train services, while security guards trained in crowd control are placed on duty at some major railway stations. jury trials resume at a handful of courts in england and wales, having been suspended since the beginning of the lockdown restrictions. the uk adds loss of smell and loss of taste to the list of covid-19 symptoms that people should look out for. health secretary matt hancock announces that anyone in the uk over the age of five with symptoms can now be tested for covid-19. matt hancock also confirms that 21,000 contact tracers have been recruited across the uk and are ready to begin work. foreign secretary dominic raab tells the downing street daily briefing that it is “not sustainable” to keep the lockdown in place “permanently” but that the government is monitoring the changes it makes. 19 may figures from the office for national statistics show the number of people claiming jobseeker's allowance increased by 856,500 in april, to 2.1 million. in response to this chancellor rishi sunak says that it will take time for the uk economy to recover and it is "not obvious there will be an immediate bounceback". as figures show there have been 11,600 deaths in care homes as a result of covid-19, professor martin green, chair of care england, criticises the government for the way it handled the outbreak in care homes, and tells mps they should have been prioritised from the start. security researchers identify major security issues with the nhs covid-19 tracing app being piloted on the isle of wight, and call for new legislation to prevent officials using the data collected for purposes other than identifying those at risk from the virus. captain tom moore, who raised £32m for nhs charities, is to be knighted for his fundraising efforts following a special nomination from boris johnson. 20 may at prime minister's questions, boris johnson confirms that a track and trace system will be in place from 1 june. the government faces mounting pressure from councils and teaching unions to reconsider its plans to reopen primary schools from 1 june. robert buckland, the secretary of state for justice, says the government is taking all concerns "very seriously". rolls-royce announce plans to cut 9,000 jobs as a result of the covid-19 outbreak, and warns that it could take several years for the airline industry to recover. the number of people in hospital with covid-19 drops below 10,000 for the first time since march. people with diabetes are being strongly advised to follow government advice after a study by nhs england found the condition was linked to a third of covid-19 deaths between 1 march and 11 may. diabetics are not among the people who have been told to shield themselves, but some may be asked to do so if they are deemed to be at high risk because of a combination of health conditions. at the downing street daily briefing, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport oliver dowden announces the establishment of a task force that will look at how sporting and arts events can resume safely. the task force will include former women's footballer alex scott and television executive michael grade. dowden announces that £150m from dormant bank accounts will be used to help charities and social enterprises. the 2020 queen's birthday honours is delayed until the autumn in order to recognise the "everyday covid heroes" who have played a role in supporting and protecting society during the crisis. figures released by public health england indicate no new covid-19 cases were reported in london over the 24-hour period up to monday 18 may. 21 may the nhs confederation warns that time is running out to finalise a test, track and trace strategy to avoid a possible second surge in covid-19 cases. following an agreement between the government and the swiss pharmaceutical company roche, a covid-19 antibody test is made available through the nhs, with health and care staff to be the first to receive it. the test checks to see if someone has had the virus. the government announces that nhs staff and care workers from overseas will be exempt from the immigration health surcharge that usually applies to non-eu migrants. the office for national statistics estimate that 137,000 people in england, or