If the chances of life returning to "normal" any time soon seem to have receded in recent days, we at least have news of a study aimed at informing the government's strategy for easing the lockdown. Some 20,000 households are being approached to take part in the pilot phase of a project that will see volunteers provide nose and throat swabs once a week for five weeks and then every month for 12 months. It aims to improve understanding of both infection levels and the number of people with immunity to the virus.

The UK's chief medical adviser says it is "wholly unrealistic" to expect life to suddenly return to normal soon, rating the chances of finding an effective vaccine within the calendar year as "incredibly small". Meanwhile, swift respite for those - young and old alike - whose patience is being tested by home schooling also seems unlikely. One headteachers association leader says the earliest "realistic" point at which schools in England could start re-opening would be 1 June.
And, as we're set to spend more of the summer months indoors and less time in parks, pub beer gardens or on beaches, Public Health England is recommending people consider taking vitamin D supplements to make up for the loss of sunlight. Follow all the latest virus-related developments via our live page.

If you're finding the prospect of yet more time indoors hard to take, you can at least indulge in a little escapism - and do your bit for good causes - this evening. Ten Doctor Who actors who inhabited the Tardis over a period spanning 50 years will unite to celebrate the Big Night In, the BBC's push to aid the coronavirus response through Children in Need and Comic Relief. Doctors including Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, David Tennant and Matt Smith have recorded a message thanking front-line staff for their work. It will be broadcast just before the weekly Clap For Carers at 20:00 BST.

As well as a Time Lord for (almost) every generation, the three-hour special will see Little Britain, Peter Kay, The Vicar of Dibley and Catherine Tate return to BBC One. Musician Gary Barlow, comic actors Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Jack Whitehall, Romesh Ranganathan, Miranda Hart and the cast of People Just Do Nothing are among the others expected to appear on the show. Meanwhile, the Strictly Come Dancing professionals have come up with a new routine for people to learn at home.

One in three of us has been using the enforced time indoors to read more, with 18 to 24-year-olds in particular catching up on books. To mark World Book Night, our arts editor Will Gompertz speaks to authors - including Booker Prize winners Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo - to discover what's top of their reading lists. For the UK's Muslim population, lockdown measures are going to mean a very different sort of Ramadan. We hear from a doctor, a delivery driver and an imam about their preparations.

We have plenty of advice and information on dealing with life under lockdown on our dedicated page, along with another selection of dubious health claims you should ignore. Oh, and if you're worried about starting to look a bit wild, one hairdresser offers tips on how to cut your own hair.

Ahead of this evening's TV extravaganza, it's a Big Day In across BBC network and local radio. On Radio 1 at noon, a Stay Home Live Lounge special brings together stars including Dua Lipa and Coldplay's Chris Martin to perform a cover of Foo Fighters' Times Like These in aid of Comic Relief and Children in Need's efforts to support those affected by the pandemic. Check out the full schedules via BBC Sounds .

Many front pages feature a smiling Prince Louis, hands daubed in paint, as he spends his second birthday by joining the trend for children to paint rainbows in celebration of the contribution of key workers to the struggle against coronavirus. Various lines from Downing Street's latest daily press briefing lead the papers, with the Daily Telegraph noting UK chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty's comments that ministers would have to consider “trade-offs” to avoid a second wave of infections. The i leads on Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's comments that the UK has reached the peak of the pandemic. While noting that “glimmer of light”, the Daily Mirror also reports that Sir Keir Starmer took the government to task for shortages of personal protective equipment and virus tests. And the Metro sums up the Labour leader's criticism of the government as "Slow, slow, slow, slow". Read the full review.

From elsewhere

If you need a break from the onslaught of virus-related news, we have videos exploring how Rina Sawayama turned familial pain into one of the catchiest pop albums of the year so far, and why people get so awkward talking about sex and disability. And you can read how - and why - SpaceX is "fixing" the brightness of those satellites you might have seen in the sky in recent nights.