Scotland takes another huge step towards normality today as a number of coronavirus restrictions are scrapped.
Curbs on our everyday lives have been in place for nearly two years now and we have all been affected in one way or another.
There are many of us who thought we may never get to the moment when the wearing of face masks on public transport and in shops would be the only requirement left.
Today should be a day to celebrate as we return to pre-March 2020 life.
People will celebrate - and rightly so - but we should remain cautious due to the high levels of covid still in the population.
The latest data revealed one in 14 people in Scotland had covid last week. Clearly the virus is still something of which we should be wary.
We have come so far on a long, hard and emotional journey which has seen many of us lose family and friends to Covid-19.
With many Scots currently forced to isolate due to rising infection levels, it is a reminder that it has not gone away.
Restrictions are being eased but there is still huge pressure on our NHS. It is vital we do not allow the virus to take hold of our lives again.
As we move towards freedom, it is now more important than ever to practise good common sense.
Fill funding gap – and quickly
A warning that 80 per cent of dentists are ready to reduce their commitment to NHS patients should set alarms bells ringing at the Scottish Government.
However the klaxons should have been heard long ago.
Those working in dentistry have made it clear that the service has been underfunded for years.
It wasn’t something that suddenly happened during the pandemic.
But once again it is the hard pressed who face being kicked in the teeth.
They’re the ones at the bottom of a two-tier system - one for those who can pay and another for those who can’t.
Newly qualified dentists no longer want to work for the NHS and are going private or moving abroad.
That loss of talent shouldn’t be allowed to happen.
As frontline health services go, dental care might not get the same level of attention as others.
But it is time the Scottish Government found the money to improve the nation’s smile.
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