It’s thought, for example, that schools will be reopened on 8 March, while outdoor meetings might also be permitted as we move into spring.

However, no such indications have been given for when hospitality and non-essential retail and may reopen.

The latter includes hairdressers and other beauty salons. Here’s what we know so far about when they might reopen.

In England, hairdressers have been closed since the third national lockdown was imposed on 5 January.

They had previously been able to operate with Covid-secure measures in tier 1, 2, and 3 locations.

Now, while it’s not yet clear when and how lockdown restrictions will be eased, it’s likely that hairdressers, along with other beauty salons, will not be permitted to reopen again until the government reopens all non-essential retail.

The government has not revealed its plan for reopening non-essential retail, but Mr Johnson has previously said of his strategy that “going down the tiers in a national way” might be “better this time round”, which has been understood to imply that non-essential businesses could be permitted to open all at once rather than in a staggered manner as before.

Welsh ministers have said they will discuss easing some coronavirus lockdown restrictions on non-essential retail in the coming weeks.

This week, Mark Drakeford said hairdressers could be among the non-essential shops to reopen on 15 March, but warned any easing would be gradual.

Depending on what services your local hairdresser offers, you might be able to secure an appointment now to ensure that, when your hairdresser is permitted to reopen, you have a confirmed booking.

This might be advisable considering how popular hairdressing services were when they reopened in the summer, with reports of people lining up outside salons at midnight to ensure they were first in line for an appointment.

Hairdressers, barbers and other “close contact services” are some of the hardest for the government to reopen due to the proximity between customers and employees. When they were permitted to open for services in July, that included treatments that “relate to cutting or treating hair on the head” but did not include services like nail salons and tanning.

As social distancing is not possible when having your hair done, your hairdresser will likely have to wear a visor according to the government’s rules. Last time around, the National Hair and Beauty Federation also discouraged talking, and hairdressers were told to keep hair-cutting time to a minimum, and any face-to-face discussions will have to be side-to-side.

Dr Simon Clarke, professor in microbiology at University of Reading, says: “You’re in close proximity to someone so there is a certain amount of risk - if they [hairdresser] are carrying the virus then a visor isn’t going to offer you complete protection because when they talk or breathe out that is directed downwards. There is no simple answer to these things you’ve got to weigh up the risks for yourself.”

Dr Robert Dingwall, professor of sociology at Nottingham Trent University and on the Department of Health’s Nervtag (New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Group), which advises the Chief Medical Officer on the threat posed by new viruses, says: “Hairdressers do not spend a lot of time face-to-face with customers, the interaction is through the mirror normally. In a sense the customer’s best protection is having confidence in the standards of these places which are used to being sterile anyway.”