As the number of Covid-19 infections increases across Scotland, it is time for everyone to be at their most vigilant.
With North and South Lanarkshire facing the prospect of joining neighbouring local authorities in partial lockdown, we could see most of the country under restrictions quite soon.
The situation is fragile and requires us all to shake off any coronavirus complacency that has taken hold.
The First Minister has urged people not to use pub crawls as a means of socialising when it is a way of spreading infection.
This simple advice must be heeded. Is it so hard to stay in the one place during an evening out?
Football fans are frustrated that there are only a small number of matches being piloted with crowds but at least it’s a step in the right direction.
We have to behave sensibly, live with the restrictions and do all we can to suppress a virus that has claimed thousands of Scottish lives.
If we let our guard drop then, like tired fighters, we will get smacked by a resurgence in the virus and all the caution of the last six months will have been for nothing.
The one or two backward steps we take right now might just allow us to make more significant strides forward in the future.
Work to be done
Anyone who takes pride in a modern, inclusive Scotland should be appalled at what happened to Peter McCluskey.
The 25-year-old was hounded out of his home because of his sexuality.
Things were looking up for a young gay man who had secured a tenancy after a period of homelessness.
But they took a significant turn for the worse when he got on the wrong side of a gang of homophobic teenage thugs.
Peter endured physical and verbal attacks several times a day and his kitchen window was smashed.
The shocking bigotry he suffered forced him to flee his home and he says he won’t return.
His ordeal shows we still have a long way to go before all people can live in Scotland without fear of persecution and prejudice.
