CORONAVIRUS appears to spread less easily outdoors but the UK Government has to be "extremely painstaking" in considering relaxing any lockdown measures, one of its experts has warned.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, England's Deputy Chief Medical Officer, played down the prospect of an imminent return to outdoor activities, saying the virus would return unless a "painstaking" approach was taken going forward.

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press briefing, he said ventilation and people being more spaced out contributed to making it harder for the virus to spread.

"There is a definite truism across all of the science literature that ventilation is a most critical part of reducing transmission from respiratory viruses," he explained.

Prof Van-Tam said normal breezes and air currents appeared to quickly disperse "any kind of plumes of anything" around us.

He noted: "So from that perspective, it is absolutely categorically clear outdoor spaces with higher degrees of ventilation are less problematic environments for transmission than indoor spaces."

But when asked whether that could allow for the return of park-run events, the opening of garden centres, beach trips or drinking in pub beer gardens, he warned the virus would return if lockdown measures were not eased very carefully.

"These are complex and, at various different points, they might involve a congregation of individuals and one has to be very painstaking and very careful about thinking through some of these before we make the wrong move to relax measures. We have to be extremely sure-footed and extremely painstaking about this. This virus will absolutely come back."

It was noted during the press conference how Germany had lifted some restrictions, only to see infection rates rise again.

"This is with us for quite some time, potentially for as long as until we get a vaccine," declared Prof Van-Tam. "So, from that perspective we have to be really careful and really sure-footed and I'm not going to suggest for a moment that any of this should be rushed."

Earlier, Boris Johnson held telephone talks with Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, on the Government's strategy for phase two. The Prime Minister is expected to hold similar talks with Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, next week.

Expert advisers from the SAGE group are due to give their final advice on lifting lockdown measures to enable Mr Johnson and his colleagues, who will meet virtually tomorrow, to finalise their plans. A Government announcement is due next week to coincide with the May 7 review deadline.