Opinion

We all need to help each other by observing regulations

More than one million people worldwide have now died of coronavirus, a grim milestone that has been reached in a nine month period which has had a devastating impact on every part of the globe.

Unfortunately, with no vaccine in place, we can expect that toll to climb over the coming weeks and months.

In the meantime, governments are doing what they can to mitigate the spread of the virus and the inexorable rise in the number of deaths.

We know much more now than we did in February and March, there are more therapies available, testing and tracing is better organised and people understand that individual behaviour in terms of social distancing, hand hygiene and mask wearing can improve outcomes.

It is recognised that full lockdowns are a blunt instrument that can have far-reaching consequences for mental health, jobs, relationships and the wider economy.

The current strategy is focused on reducing personal freedoms and social interaction in a way that allows businesses to continue operating, even in a limited way.

Yesterday came the anticipated announcement on closing times for licensed premises in Northern Ireland, which from tomorrow will be 11pm, half an hour earlier than usual.

The Republic's curfew is 11.30pm while in Britain it is 10pm, which has caused some problems.

It has to be recognised that these are exceptionally difficult times for the hospitality industry as it tries to keep trading while grappling with complex, fast-moving and sometimes unclear regulations.

The rules around the number of people from different households who can share a table inside or outside a pub or restaurant changed virtually by the day last week, causing widespread confusion among both customers and staff.

Much is being asked of the public and businesses right now and people need to know the precise nature of the regulations to ensure they can abide by them while there has to be particular clarity about liability and enforcement.

Northern Ireland recorded 320 cases yesterday, with increasing numbers of patients now in hospital and ICU.

As Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Ian Young spelled out, if we go on as we are in a month we will have 1,000 cases a day.

Significant restrictions have been put in place across the north to reduce the spread of infection and we can all play our part by observing those measures.