The prime minister if anything is being too cautious in changes to lockdown, and the rest of the UK is being all the more so

Boris Johnson talked at length about the risks of Covid-19, and the progress that had been made.

He then tentatively outlined a relaxation of lockdown as it applies to England.

The PM’s message shifted from ‘Stay At Home’ to ‘Stay Alert’ and said that any changes would be dependent on ongoing progress against the virus.

The fact that it has begun to flare up again in South Korea, one of the nations that had the best response to the crisis, is a reminder of the dangers of later surges of the pandemic.

Mr Johnson has been attacked for sending mixed messages, but in fact he was right to suggest a path forward.

If anything, his proposals were too modest: primary schools in England might begin to return in June, there will be no restrictions on exercise and people will be allowed to enjoy the sun in a park or to drive to a destination for a walk.

Most significantly of all, Mr Johnson said that while the message previously was that people should work from home if possible and go to work if it was essential, now they should be actively encouraged to go to work if they cannot work from home, ideally not using public transport.

While the virus might be at a slightly later stage in the cycle on the Celtic fringe of the UK, it is becoming clear that the less densely populated three nations —Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — have been fortunate to be less badly hit.

Also, there are political motives clearly at play. Nationalists in NI and Scotland, and the Labour government in Wales, all have reasons to distance themselves from Mr Johnson.

Yet we cannot just appease this thinking. NI for example is all the more suited to encourage a return to work, given that we are much less reliant on public transport.

And there is no reason our schools cannot return in June and run into July, then return in August, to make up for the many days our children have lost in their education.