Better times lie ahead after toughest year

As the clock ticks down to the anniversary of Scotland first being placed into Covid lockdown, it is naturally a time for reflection.

Reflection on the tragic loss of thousands of souls, and the many more whose lives have been blighted by a virus that has proved to be much greater of an enemy than any of us first supposed.

But the physical and mental trauma for which coronavirus has been responsible is only one part of the story.

Covid has reached into every aspect of our lives and wherever it has been found it has taken a heavy toll.

On business and the economy, on education, on communities and on individuals.

No one has escaped its malign influence, instead for individuals across Scotland it has been a case of how significant the impact of Covid has been.

There is no disguising it has been a terrible period. For the vast majority of us – save those who are old enough to have known the terrors of war – the past 12 months will add up to the most significant challenge of our lives to date.

But in reflecting on what we have collectively endured, we would be stupid not to also look for the positives that have come from this crisis.

While communities have suffered huge disruption, in many cases the connections that bind them together are now stronger than they have ever been.

The NHS’s incredible response and the successful hunt for a Covid vaccine will be written about in the history books.

And then there is the collective steadfastness in the face of adversity, the ingenuity, the creativity, the laughter and the love – they are all things which we can look back upon with pride.

And now, as society prepares to reopen, there is growing optimism about what lies ahead.

This pandemic has taught us that nothing is guaranteed, but we can take comfort in knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel draws nearer.

And with each day that passes, we are closer to beating Covid and emerging from this nightmare.