Cautious progress over lockdown the most sustainable
The progress we have made in our fight against Covid-19 in the last few weeks has been extremely significant.
Right across Perthshire the levels of infection have dropped significantly and, while there have been some localised outbreaks, the general levels of infection across the region are certainly heading in the right direction.
Nevertheless, we should not let our guard down and we should not fool ourselves into thinking that the virus is not still dangerous, as it is very much still transmitting in our communities.
The number of my constituents who have already had their first dose of the vaccine is extremely significant and I thank every one of you who have rolled up their sleeve and played their part.
The vaccination team across Tayside has been working flat out and I also want to say thank you to each and every one of them who are helping us to deliver the largest vaccination programme this country has ever seen.
Naturally, some people fall through the cracks and I have heard from a very small number of people who feel they should have been contacted already by the vaccination team.
If you believe that you should have been contacted, but have not yet heard anything, please feel free to get in contact with my office and we will advise the best course of action.
The next few weeks will see a slow and controlled return to formal education for some pupils.
This will be a very slow process and one which will always be guided by public health professionals.
I think that most people would agree that, alongside safety of the wider public, children’s education is a priority and while it will continue to be very challenging for some sectors who will remain closed, getting our young people back to school is a significant step forward.
We need to remember that the return to school for our young people should not feel like a return to normality for the majority of us adults.
People should not use schools returning as an excuse to meet up with people from outside their own household.
The success of this limited re-opening, and the prospect of getting more pupils back later in March, very much depends on all of us continuing to abide by the wider restrictions.
I understand that people will want greater certainty about when and how other sectors of the economy will re-open.
This will come in time, but the fact is that a cautious approach – however frustrating – will be more successful and more sustainable.
I absolutely plead with you that you please continue to stick to the letter and the spirit of the rules.
The greater the collective effort, the quicker we can start to ease the current lockdown.
My office remains closed for face-to-face appointments, but you can reach me by sending an email to pete.wishart.mp@ parliament.uk or on 01250 876576.