The country is at a turning point and we must all play our part to succeed

MAKE no mistake, this is a defining moment for Ireland and what happens – and what we do – in the next few weeks and months has the potential to shape the entire future of our nation. A collective sense of complacency and fatigue has allowed the Coronavirus to surge and the threat of the virus is growing in every corner of the country.

Rates are higher in certain areas like Dublin and Donegal but the virus is present and spreading everywhere.

A measure of its pervasive and invasive nature can be seen in Waterford. Having had one of the lowest Covid-19 rates in the country for months, the incidence of the virus has sky-rocketed in the Crystal County in the last fortnight.

From a place of relative safety and low risk, Waterford has quickly found itself threatened with a suite of tough restrictions like those already imposed in Dublin and Donegal.

The situation in Waterford shows just how quickly Coronavirus can get out of control and it should provide a salutary lesson to people living in areas where levels of the virus, thankfully, remain low.

Sadly, further local lock-downs now look inevitable and the worst case scenario of another national shut-down is a frighteningly real prospect.

However, these doomsday scenarios can still be avoided and the answer is entirely in our own hands.

Since the lock-down ended and the country began to reopen there is no doubt people have let their standards slip. Even the most careful among us will likely admit they have been meeting more people and taking a few more ‘risks’ in recent weeks.

It’s entirely understandable but it’s the type of behaviour we have to stamp out if we are to beat Covid back into submission.

None of us has to stop living our lives but we have to heed the messages and pleas coming the medical experts charged with leading our response to the pandemic.

The mixed and confusing messages coming from Government haven’t helped but in imposing Level Three restrictions on Dublin and Donegal the cabinet has shown a degree of resolution that had seemed absent for some time.

No one wants to see parts of the country locked off and everyone of us dreams of the day when hand sanitizer and face masks are no longer necessary. Unfortunately, those days look to be a long way off and until they arrive we have to do what is asked of us.

Covid hasn’t gone away and it remains as dangerous as it ever was, perhaps even more so based on medical reports emerging around the world in the last week.

Even so the virus is not some untameable monster. We’ve proven before that we can drastically limit the virus spread now we have to do that again.

We must be resolute and we must all do our part. Covid-19 can be beaten but only if everyone joins the fight. There are sacrifices and tough times ahead but these too will end.

We must stay strong. We have all come too far to throw in the towel now.