Good evening

You only have to look at the many pictures taken over the last couple of days to see how much people have enjoyed a taste of freedom.

Having spent every day since January cooped up, it was natural that people went a tiny bit crazy when restrictions were eased slightly.

And there were some lovely scenes of people raising a glass (or two) in beer gardens or going into real shops to buy the things that have taken their fancy.

So it seems a little churlish to rain on their parades.

But if we want to retain these freedoms and stay safe at the same time, we do need to still follow the guidelines set down by medical experts around social distancing and wearing face coverings.

The problem is that when people have a few drinks they shed their inhibitions and that is when the rules tend to go out of the window.

So while it is important for our mental health to get out in the world once more, if we want to protect ourselves and those we love from Covid, we also need to be cautious until we see the effect opening up our pubs and high streets has on transmission of the virus.

Until next time, stay safe,

Gillian

Drop me a line at gillian.parkinson@jpimedia.co.uk with your views and please subscribe to support sustainable local journalism in your community. Click here to view our offers.

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