BRITS are to be set free to enjoy picnics in parks, unlimited exercise and some sports from Monday.
Pub and cafe gardens could also open in an easing of lockdown restrictions. But people must still stay two metres from each other.
The small relaxation from the coronavirus lockdown is the first of many that the PM plans to roll out week by week to reward long-suffering Brits.
Mr Johnson will announce the new freedom as he unveils his long-awaited “unlockdown” plan on Sunday to gradually end the nation’s virtual house arrest.
At the moment, everyone is only allowed to leave their homes for one form of exercise a day.
Aides say the PM is expected to make clear that the vast bulk of the current restrictions will have to remain in place for some weeks longer.
But he will announce everyone can take “unlimited exercise” from the next day onwards.
A senior government source told The Sun: “The PM wants people to know that all the effort they’ve put in is delivering progress, that six weeks of doing nothing has been worthwhile.
“So we can now let off the break a bit, and see what happens. If people abide by the new rules, we can then let off the break a little bit more.”
Also on Sunday, Mr Johnson will mount a new effort to persuade bosses to allow work to resume in sectors that weren’t told they must close.
They include construction sites as well as some retail outlets, such as dry cleaners and takeaways such as McDonalds, which took their own decision to close to protect their staff.
Mr Johnson wants to put timelines on when Brits can expect measures to take effect “where he can”, sources said.
One key date that he is pushing to announce is when schools will begin a staggered return from, with the current target being June 1.
But the PM will also insist he will only be able to meet the timelines if there is no spike in the virus’s R rate – meaning how fast it is spreading.
Revealing his plan to announce the first easing for Monday, Boris told MPs yesterday: “We have to be sure the data is going to support our ability to do this.
“That data is coming in continuously over the next few days. “We want if we possibly can to get going with some of these measures on Monday.”
First Secretary Dominic Raab will today confirm that the Government is extending the coronavirus lockdown again as he announces the results of its second review.
By law, ministers must review it every three weeks.
But Mr Raab will ask the nation to wait for the PM’s announcement on Sunday to find out more about its duration.
It also emerged yesterday that Mr Johnson is preparing to unveil a new slogan for Phase Two of the battle against the virus.
Health officials ordered all their teams to remove the current one – ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS, Save Lives’ – from websites and social media on Saturday night.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick began prodding firms last night, urging work on construction and big transport projects to restart now if safety measures are in place.
After angry complaints from regional mayors, Mr Jenrick also said it is the Government’s “strong preference” that lockdown measures are lifted at the same time across the country.
But he also told the No10 daily press briefing that restrictions could be reimposed at a local level if there was a sudden new virus outbreak.
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