Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the coronavirus pandemic “is a long way from gone” as he urged the public to follow social-distancing rules when the lockdown is eased on Saturday.
Speaking at the Downing Street press conference, Prof Whitty insisted that the next step out of lockdown is "absolutely not" risk-free.
Meanwhile, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, also warned of the danger of “superspreading” of Covid-19 occurring in pubs.
Prof Whitty added: “None of us believe, and I’m sure nobody watching this believes, this is a risk-free next step. It is absolutely not, that is why we have to be really serious about it.
“There’s no doubt these are environments whose principal job it is to bring people together, that’s a great thing to do socially but it’s also a great thing from the virus’s point of view.
“And therefore we do have to have a really clear and really disciplined approach to try and maintain social distancing whilst also enjoying pubs.”
Prof Whitty added that “there is no perfect, exact way” of easing lockdown as he discussed the balancing act being undertaken, adding: “We are going to have health problems, and economic problems, for sure.”
He applied the pressure on the public and business owners to follow the restrictions, adding that if they “do not take them seriously, the possibility of a second wave goes up sharply”.
Meanwhile, documents released by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) identified bars in other countries as settings for coronavirus clusters and superspreading events.
The Government scientists suggested pubs, bars and restaurants would be the types of places that close first in the event of subsequent outbreaks.