Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he hoped Britain could return to normality before Christmas, setting out a phased removal of lockdown restrictions, but warned that while he was hoping for the best, the country must also prepare for the worst.

Britain’s death toll of more than 45,000 from confirmed cases of Covid-19 is the worst in Europe, but the country has begun to lift lockdown measures as case numbers and infection rates fall.

Johnson set out the latest timetable for easing on Friday, saying employers would be given more discretion over working from home rules, that the safety of larger gatherings would be evaluated, and that social-distancing rules might be dropped in time for Christmas.

‘It is my strong and sincere hope that we will be able to review the outstanding restrictions and allow a more significant return to normality from November at the earliest — possibly in time for Christmas,” he said.

However, he stressed that the plan was conditional on success in keeping infection rates down, setting out extra healthcare funding and new powers for local government to lock down Covid-19 hotspots.

“We’re making sure we’re ready for winter and planning for the worst. But even as we plan for the worst, I strongly believe we should also hope for the best,” he told a news conference.

Johnson said from August 1 he would scrap official guidance that encouraged people to work from home and instead give employers the power to decide whether it was safe for workers to return.