Long journey ahead on road to recovery

The grim milestone of global deaths from coronavirus topping three million is a stark reminder of just how long a journey lies ahead for all of us before we are free of this dreadful plague.

While the vaccines, even with their expected complications, are being rolled out at pace in the UK, the same cannot be said for elsewhere.

It is likely that Europe will eventually catch up and then the healthcare and economic stranglehold the virus has maintained on all countries will gradually loosen.

But there is the wider world to consider, with extremes like the ignorance of Bolsonaro in Brazil fuelling a spiralling death rate, and the chronic poverty in India frustrating efforts at containment.

News of a variant from that subcontinent – already recorded in the UK – is another cause for concern, and a reminder to us we cannot drop our guard.

Even as we begin to reconnect with freedoms once denied by lockdown, there is no room for complacency which risks undoing all the good work that has got us this far.

It’s everyone’s responsibility to stick to the rules, and continue to observe common sense measures we are all extremely familiar with now such as social distancing, mask wearing and hand washing.

Yes, let the vaccines do their job but do ours, too, to ensure we grab our liberty responsibly, and give a lead to other nations.