LOCKDOWN restrictions will stay in place until a virus vaccine becomes available in about 18 months, officials have said.

Advice to work from home and stay in for seven days if you have symptoms will most likely still be in place next year.

Ministers want to lift the most restrictive parts of the lockdown, including school and shop closures, within weeks.

But senior Government sources say the only true "exit strategy" is a vaccine or a cure.

Until then, the UK will have to adjust to a "new normal".

An official last night told The Telegraph that social distancing measures that have been placed upon Britons could be "indefinite".

Official plans to encourage social distancing on a long term, voluntary basis, have also been discussed, as the government continues to hold talks on how long we can cope with the current measures.

Some measures, such as remote working, could be left in place for longer.

Dominic Raab, standing in for the Prime Minister while he is sick, has said it is "too early" to lift the full lockdown, which will be formally extended next Thursday for several weeks.

Scientists expect the restrictions to be phased out gradually.

They say some will stay in place until there is a vaccine - which they expect to take 18 months - to prevent infection levels soaring again.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last night admitted the economic impact of the lockdown will cause deaths.

Ministers want to strike a balance between controlling the epidemic and mitigating damage caused by the lockdown.

Rules which inflict the most harm, such as the closure of schools and small firms, will be relaxed first.

But a source leading the Government's response said other effective measures not as damaging to the economy will have to become "embedded".

This includes working from home and avoiding public transport if possible.

Mr Hancock said: "We take into account the entire impact on the health and wellbeing of everyone in the country.

"Not just on the highly visible impact on the deaths from coronavirus, but right across the board, including indirectly through the economic impact."

Mr Hancock has previously suggested those who have had the virus could be given immunity certificates but there is still no antibody test to identify them.

This is while senior officials also told The Telegraph that the economic downturn caused by the virus could create more premature deaths than the virus itself.

One source said: "We fully understand that – if there is a significant downturn in terms of people's incomes - that can have a read across to their health."

Restaurants and pubs are expected to be among the first non-essential services to open but could be made to restrict the number of people they let in at once.

And football clubs could be forced to maintain low attendances at matches.