Working times could be staggered with 9-5 office hours banished for the foreseeable future, it has been claimed.

The government is desperate to avoid rush hour crowds, leading to packed trains and railway stations, so plans to split up work start times to 7am, 10am and 1pm are reportedly being considered.

And alternative days and working over weekends could also be part of a government plan for a "new normal", DailyStarOnline reports.

A Cabinet source told The Sun: “We have to get the wheels of the economy turning again soon or there won’t be much left of it.

“But life and work is going to look very different when it happens, whether it's staggered rush hours or going in every other day.”

Some councils may only allow pedestrians and cyclists into city centres to allow more space, it has been reported.

The country has been in lockdown since March with the UK gripped by the coronavirus pandemic.

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The death toll on Thursday stands at 18,100 with more than 100,000 cases.

Government ministers have set a goal of reaching 100,000 tests a day by the end of April.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, standing in for Prime Minister Boris Johnson at PMQs, was pressed by leader of the oppostion Sir Keir Starmer on being "very slow and way behind other European countries" on testing.

But Mr Raab hit back, saying: "I've set the goal of 100,000 tests a day by the end of this month and I'm delighted to say that the expansion of capacity is ahead of plans, even though demand has, thus far, been lower than expected.
