I've been on a call with the Prime Minister tonight, ahead of the vote on the tiers system being introduced tomorrow.
We've all been looking forward to the end of the lockdown on 2nd December, so the news we were to be placed in the new Tier 2 has been very disheartening. But I sincerely believe the promise of vaccines is a bright light at the end of a shortening tunnel: we're expecting the first vaccinations to take place within a few months, if not weeks.
We have to keep infections - and therefore hospital admissions - low until then: low enough to avoid the potential for a third lockdown. Open up too much, too soon, and too quickly, and everything can go wrong, as appears to be happening right now in Wales. A tiered approach has to balance the risks (opening up as much of normal life and business as possible) with the benefits of keeping the spread of infection under control. This balance is not easy, and I know it may not be be welcome news, but it is what the government must do.
Here in Broadland, the more we can get our infection rates down even further before the first review on 16th December, the greater the chance of us being able to move into Tier 1 safely.
Once the vaccination programme begins, we can look forward to a much more normal 2021: in the short-term we have to continue showing patience, caution, and follow the sensible precautions of 'Hands, Face, Space' for a little longer.
