The Prime Minister’s promised road map turns out to be more like a route out of the coronavirus maze itself, very complicated.
Starting next week it sets out a month by month, step by step guide until people in England can walk free.
The magical date is June 21, four months away.
But, as with almost every announcement Mr Johnson has made throughout the pandemic, there are ifs and buts.
They include tests that the vaccination programme continues successfully, there is no surge in hospital admissions and no increase in risk from variant viruses.
Mr Johnson, by turns eloquently cheerful - ‘the crocus of hope poking through is proof that spring is on the way’, and sombre, warning that ‘people would have to get used to living with coronavirus as with flu,’ emphasises his overriding theme, caution.
He does not want to go backwards, to reintroduce restrictions.
There has been a mixed response to his plan.
The main criticism is that the path to freedom is taking too long, worsening the plight of millions of people - unemployment in England - five percent, the highest for five years.
The first ministers of the devolved countries are due to announce their get-out plans.
Mark Drakeford says the people in Wales should be able to go out from home in three weeks time.
The path out of the coronavirus maze is indeed tortuous.
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