We must follow the rules
The country remains at a perilous point in its fight to stop coronavirus.
The government has rightly tightened rules to try and stop a rise that would lead to more deaths during the autumn and winter, if left unchecked.
No-one wanted it to come to this point. However, this is not a national lockdown but a series of measures to halt infection.
If we do not act, we face the possibility of 50,000 new infections of the virus in the UK every day by mid-October and perhaps 200 daily deaths.
At the moment, we are grappling with 6,000 infections and deaths at about ten to 15 a day.
I fully understand these new restrictions are a massive imposition on all of us.
But I do believe these tough decisions now will lower the infection rate and allow the NHS to cope with Covid-19 and other illnesses during the coming crucial winter months.
If we can be successful in the next few weeks, we might even be able to enjoy at least some form of a normal Christmas.
And on top of all this, the government must also undertake the incredibly difficult balancing act of the need for restrictions and the need to keep the economy running.
We must protect jobs and businesses, otherwise the situation will get worse.
All this seems like bad news but there are positives too and I would like to emphasise progress is being made.
We can treat the virus much better now compared to the spring, and there are promising vaccine trials taking place that may lead to a solution by the early part of next year.
So, I would ask everyone to do all they can to adhere to these news rules because they will help save lives.
Please keep to the rule of six, wash hands, keep social distancing, wear face masks – including now when in a bar and restaurant unless seated at a table.
Please also work from home if you can do so.
I hope we can return to normal as soon as possible, until then we will have to live with this virus as best we can and keep it under control.