Alan White

EARLIER this month the Prime Minister set out the Government’s roadmap which will see the gradual easing of restrictions in the coming weeks and months.

This means from Monday we saw children returning to school and residents in care homes able to have a nominated visitor.

Next month we’ll also see the relaxing of restrictions on meeting with friends and family, along with the gradual reopening of many businesses.

Alongside this, the national vaccination programme remains on schedule, having now vaccinated over 20 million people, including more than 300,000 in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-trent.

This is all really welcome news, especially for families who I know have already sacrificed so much during the pandemic. But we cannot become distracted or lose focus on the challenges that Covid-19 continues to present. Cases are falling in most areas of the county but are still higher than the national average.

We also continue to test for the highly-transmissible South African variant, which is why we must remain cautious.

For now, it’s really important that everyone continues to stick to the rules as lockdown is eased, gets tested on a regular basis even if they have no symptoms and takes up the offer of the vaccine when called to do so.

While there is definitely room for optimism, I do also appreciate the frustration of many local businesses facing further delays until they can safely reopen. I know how tough it has been for them. We have been supporting businesses throughout the pandemic and will continue to provide advice and support to help them recover as we work to get our economy back on track.

We already have plans in place to ensure that the county is in the best place possible to bounce back from this last year and generate new opportunities for better jobs, improved lives and a greener county, whilst still recognising that the impact of this pandemic is likely to be felt for years to come.

I am confident that better times lie ahead and that we will bounce back stronger than ever in 2021. But we must continue to do our bit and follow the rules.