Challenges lie ahead as we look to get back on feet after Covid
With the Scottish Parliament now in recess, and the easing of Covid restrictions, I am looking forward to getting out and about across the constituency.
One of the things I have missed most since the start of the pandemic is being able to visit with people and attend various gala days, fetes and coffee mornings.
With the huge success of the Scottish Government’s vaccine roll-out, we are now actively charting a course out of the pandemic and easing the restrictions that were put in place to help ensure our health services did not become overwhelmed.
So it will be wonderful to catch up with people, groups and charities that for the last year I have only been able to see via Zoom.
Last week, the First Minister gave a statement to parliament outlining the next steps in our transition out of lockdown and back towards normality.
I hope that this statement brought both clarity and a sense of hope to the people of Perthshire and beyond.
Parliament will also be recalled twice during recess – on July 13 and August 3 – to allow the Scottish Government to update the public on our efforts to overcome Covid, along with details of our vaccine progress and future easing of restrictions.
It will also allow MSPs to question the government and scrutinise our decision-making.
In addition to getting out and about in the constituency, and continuing to undertake casework on behalf of constituents, I will be working hard in my role as Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery to ensure that our nation bounces back from this pandemic as robustly as possible.
Rebuilding in the aftermath of the pandemic will prove a huge challenge for every nation, but it is also an opportunity to work towards a fairer society that puts the wellbeing of people at its core.
As we look ahead to brighter days and the restoration of our freedoms, we must not lose sight of the threat that Covid still poses.
The pandemic is not over, and we cannot allow our hard-won progress to be undone because of complacency.
By continuing to follow the Scottish Government guidance, and ensuring that we all come forward for our vaccination, we can look forward with confidence to better days ahead.