For weeks, Britons have chafed at the restrictions of the Covid-19 lockdown, even while polls showed they were fearful of returning to work. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s TV address and the publication of plans for a phased economic reopening were vital both to map out a path forward and to rebuild public confidence. The fumbled presentation, and impression that not all elements had been fully thought through, undermined the impact. They also risk widening the social and economic divide between those who can work from home and those compelled to return to their workplace.

The government’s “Plan to Rebuild” contains some justifiable easing of the shutdown. Being allowed to meet one other person outside the home and drive to open spaces however far away will help to reaccustom the public with venturing into the outside world while still following social distancing.

The prime minister made clear any wider restart of the economy is conditional on cutting infection and the “R” — or transmission rate — and having a realistic prospect of keeping them there. Yet what is most striking is how far the country remains from that goal.