IT’S a bank holiday weekend and we are now several weeks into a gruelling lockdown. 

People are growing tired of being stuck indoors, and the good weather hasn’t helped.

This makes the mixed messages we’ve heard over the last few days all the more bewildering.

As the next stage in the battle against coronavirus approaches, simple, clear communication from those in charge is more important than ever.

Speaking in the Commons on Wednesday, Boris Johnson signalled some measures aimed at easing the lockdown could “get going” by the start of next week.

The following day the papers were full of reports about what this might mean, from sunbathing to encouraging certain sectors back to work. The central message to “stay home” could also be dropped.

This came as news to Nicola Sturgeon and she was understandably miffed.

“I’d rather not be reading about UK Government plans in the newspapers,” she said. “I’d rather not be seeing the front pages at midnight and that being the first I know of what they are planning.”

The First Minister said ditching the advice to stay at home “could be a potentially catastrophic mistake”. 

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was quizzed about the confusion at the daily Downing Street press conference later that day.

Wasn’t it unhelpful for the Prime Minister to say there could be changes on Monday, without telling the public what these might be?

“I know people are desperate to know what he’s going to say [during his TV address] on Sunday, but I’m not going to jump the gun,” said Mr Raab.

A bit late for that, you might think.

And anyway, people wouldn’t be so desperate to know if the Prime Minister himself hadn’t suggested rules will soon be loosened, days before he is due to explain what this actually means.

Clarity and consistency are crucial. If people are to stick to the rules, they need to know exactly what the rules are, when they apply and why they are necessary. 

The beauty of the “stay home” message is its simplicity. All you need to do is stay at home and you’ll do your bit.

For many people – including those who live alone or who are struggling with small children in a confined space – this is extremely tough. But it’s a simple and straightforward message.

As the lockdown starts to ease in the coming weeks and months, things are going to get a lot more complicated. 

Different restrictions will be lifted at different times, and different rules might apply to different groups of people.

It might even make sense to have different approaches north and south of the border.

A Downing Street spokesman conceded this after a phone call between the Prime Minister and the leaders of the devolved nations on Thursday afternoon. 

“[Mr Johnson] reiterated his commitment to continuing our UK-wide approach to tackling coronavirus, even if different parts of the UK begin to move at slightly different speeds,” the spokesman said.

Interestingly, this conflicted with previous comments from senior Tories.

Just days before, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack had argued Scotland should ease restrictions “in lockstep with the UK as a whole”.

It’s certainly reasonable to worry that introducing different rules north and south of the border risks creating confusion.

If social media is anything to go by – and I realise it’s usually not – some people seem to view this as a constitutional point, or a dig at Ms Sturgeon. But it’s not.

The First Minister is perfectly entitled to break from the policy down south.

Evidence suggests the R number – the reproduction rate of the virus – is higher in Scotland than it is elsewhere in the UK, so diverging from England may well be the best course of action if Mr Johnson chooses to act before we’re ready.

But this will inevitably mean losing that powerful, UK-wide message.

That’s why Ms Sturgeon said her preference is for all parts of the UK to make changes together, if possible.

There are also questions over what would happen to the vital Job Retention Scheme, which is funded by the Treasury, if significant divergence occurs. 

It seems likely there will actually be very little difference between the restrictions in Scotland and the rest of the UK come Monday. 

The guidance on outdoor exercise will probably be loosened, but a cautious approach is favoured in most other areas.

If that’s the case, the cross-border row over the last few days will have been completely avoidable.

The lockdown has saved lives, but it is also taking a very real toll of its own. As restrictions are eased, we need to know exactly where we stand.

This will require crystal clear messaging. Which makes the last few days a bit of a worry.