Mr Johnson has been recuperating at his official country retreat, Chequers, since his release from hospital in London on 12 April after he tested positive for Covid-19.
He spent three days in intensive care and later admitted that “things could have gone either way”, forcing him to take it easy before returning to the political fray.
But there have been increasing signs his return to Downing Street could be imminent, after officials said he had spoken to Queen Elizabeth and also to US President Donald Trump.
Mr Trump said on Thursday that Mr Johnson was full of “tremendous energy” and sounded “incredible” when they talked on the phone during the week.
The Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson’s former employer, suggested he could be back at his desk on Monday, and hold briefing meetings with individual cabinet ministers.
But British Health Secretary Matt Hancock was more cautious, despite the prime minister’s progress.
He said: “I spoke to him yesterday, he’s cheerful, and he’s ebullient and he’s definitely on the mend in a big way.
“When exactly he comes back is a matter for him and his doctors.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been deputising since Mr Johnson was taken to hospital on 6 April, chairing cabinet meetings about political strategy to fight the coronavirus outbreak.
But while nominally in charge, Mr Raab as “first secretary of state” would have required overall cabinet approval to take any major decisions, such as easing lockdown measures.
In reality, he, along with senior minister Michael Gove and Mr Hancock ,have largely shared the leadership burden in the prime minister’s absence, which has coincided with the suspected peak in hospital deaths and positive tests.
Britain has been one of the worst-hit countries in the world by the virus, with hundreds of deaths reported every day.
The actual number of fatalities could rise further when deaths in the community are taken into account, particularly from care homes.
While Mr Johnson was away, senior ministers have faced collective criticism over shortages in personal protective equipment (PPE) and a lack of widespread testing, particularly of frontline health and social care workers.
Labour leader Keir Starmer has accused the government of being “slow into lockdown, slow on testing, slow on protective equipment”.
Mr Johnson will also be expected to immediately explain how he plans to get the country’s economy up and running again while controlling the spread of the virus.
There have been growing demands for an exit strategy from the current national lockdown, which was first imposed on 23 March, extended on 16 April, and is due for review on 7 May.
Ministers have so far refused publicly to speculate on when restrictions will be lifted, saying that experts were not sure Britain was over the peak of the outbreak.
The Bank of England has warned that the UK faces its worst recession in “several centuries”.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also upped the ante by revealing her broader strategy, including the possible phased reopening of some businesses and schools.
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster has also suggested she could lift restrictions before England.
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