Timely arrival of the certainty we crave

THE announcement of Scotland’s gradual emergence from lockdown was a longawaited moment in the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a debate about the merits of data or dates, but one virtue of the latter approach is that it gives individuals and businesses desperately sought clarity.

We now know the ‘stay at home’ order will be lifted on April 2, hairdressers will reopen from April 5, and travel in and out of Scotland will be permitted once more from April 26, though only across the UK.

Families, business owners, investors and suppliers can begin to plan around these milestones. After so much uncertainty, this is welcome indeed. We are all aware that exit from lockdown will mean entry into the post-Covid economy and the monumental challenges that await.

We need more than a mere ‘Covid recovery’, as spoken of by politicians. We need an economy placed on full-throttle turbo boosters. Small businesses are already saying the First Minister’s statement did not go far enough.

While the physical and mental health benefits of easing lockdown are incalculable, we must all remain vigilant and not allow the virus any fresh openings.

The timing of this easing, on the eve of a Holyrood election, has a certain whiff to it, but that is the tawdry nature of politics.

What we must cleave to is the hope, born of a vaccine delivered by the deep pockets and unmatched reach of our precious Union, that the worst is behind us and we never have to endure another lockdown.