Level one will feel like normal
There’s a real sense that the situation is improving significantly as Perth and Kinross goes down to level one.
This now means that practically everything other than nightclubs can now reopen.
Up to six people from three households can meet in homes and up to eight people from three households can meet in an indoor public place such as a café, pub, or restaurant.
This will feel distinctly like ‘normal’and hopefully signals better times to come.
This has all come as a result of the success of the vaccination programme and the widespread acceptance of necessary restrictions and impositions on our everyday life. For the first time since July there were no recorded deaths this week and no reports of serious COVID related illness in our hospitals. Everywhere there is good news.
There does, though, remain a few dark clouds on the otherwise sunshine filled horizon and that remains in the now newly named‘Delta’ variant.
This was the variant first imported from India and it has proven to be one of the most virulent yet. Concerns remain about a third wave and where the vaccine has given the anticipated protections, we still do not know enough to be absolutely certain that it will not create further problems.
That is why as we plan our way out of this, we should remain cautious and vigilant as we go forward. The worst thing possible would be to make all this progress only to be faced with the misery of going backwards, again.
We also have to start processing the data in light of the success of the vaccination programme. We have rightly concentrated on infection numbers (as a precursor to hospitalisations and death later down the line) but if there is compelling evidence that the link between infections, serious illness and deaths is broken it is absolutely right that we look at how we assess the consequences of the infection on society.
We are getting there but let’s be absolutely certain that this is it.
I am also delighted at the fantastic success my SNP colleagues enjoyed in the recent Scottish Parliamentary election.
Both John Swinney and new boy Jim Fairlie increased the share of the vote and increased the SNP majorities. The SNP made constituency gains across Scotland from both the Conservatives and Labour and we increased our overall parliamentary representation.
With the Greens there is an even larger independence majority and talks with the Greens are ongoing to produce a stable, more consensual government pursuing the priorities set out by the Scottish people.
At Westminster my job will be to ensure that Scottish democracy is respected, and that Scotland secures what it voted for.
This will be an exciting parliamentary term that could signal a new era for Scotland. It is certainly something I am looking forward to.