Life with coronavirus is not as you know it

The gears of normal life in Scotland have started to grind to a halt. When it came, the stepping up of the response to the coronavirus epidemic across the UK was as extraordinary as it was extensive.

The farce around the on/off Wales v Scotland rugby game in Cardiff aside, the sporting community’s swift and comprehensive cancelling of the calendar showed how seriously the virus is being taken.

Many will rue the ripping up of the football card, the loss of the Six Nations and, further afield, the prospect of April without the Masters.

But, with the possibility of transfer so acute, the risk of hosting these events is simply too great.

In exactly the same vein, the decision to cancel Radio One’s Big Weekend in Dundee – the largest single event of the summer in Courier Country – might be disappointing to music fans.

But there is no argument that avoiding an unnecessary gathering of many thousands of people during what is likely to be the peak period of the UK Covid-19 epidemic is the right call.

Perspective is everything and the health of the public at large comes a long way ahead of a football match or a music concert.

The closure of Broughty Ferry Health Centre yesterday amid reports a staff member has been diagnosed with the virus brings home just how vulnerable we all are.

Many other community gatherings are also now looking at their plans and erring on the side of caution, even though they may not involve gatherings of more than 500 people.

It is such actions that will have the greatest impact in delaying the spread of coronavirus.

Hopefully those small sacrifices will have a large, cumulative effect and help flatten the peak epidemic curve that could see health services overwhelmed and, ultimately, make a bad situation far worse.

Politicians and medical practitioners have been absolutely clear in their advice over hand-washing and self-isolation. It is heartening to see that advice being heeded. There is a long and difficult road ahead but it is one that we must travel together.