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Boris Johnson answers questions in the House of Commons on his plans for easing the UK lockdown. Stringer/ PRU / AFP
The UK is making its first towards reopening after lockdown but with schools remaining closed along with non-essential shops until next month it remains a step behind much of Europe.
The new set of guidelines laid out in the 51-page document "Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy" is the blueprint for returning to normal life in England. Scotland and Wales, which have independent control over many domestic policy areas, are maintaining their own strict lockdown.
The detailed guidelines follow on from Boris Johnson's televised address to the country on Sunday night where he revealed a color-coded one to five number system with the UK currently at number four. One would mean no new coronavirus infections.
There have been a further 210 deaths in the UK, according to government data on Monday, that takes the overall toll to over 32,000 - with the country one of the worst affected by the virus in Europe.
The new guidelines will mean that people should still work from home if they can but others need to travel for their jobs if their workplace is open. Schools have also been told to prepare for reopening from 1 June with the aim that all primary school children will be back in classes before the summer.
Comparing that to around Europe most countries are still advising people to work from home. Germany has already reopened primary and secondary schools while classes have also restarted partially in countries such as France, Spain and Norway.
The UK never had as strict a lockdown as countries like Italy and Spain, and having been hit later with its peak for deaths and infections, it is now not far behind most of Europe as it starts to ease the restrictions.
There is still a long way to go in the UK's planned return to normal life and there is uncertainty over how the guidelines will be put into practice with plenty of "ifs and buts". Opposition parties, including the Labour Party, have accused Johnson of a lack of clarity.
He has emphasised the cautiousness of his approach and has pledged that the "brakes" would be put back on if necessary.