Opinion

Worrying time as fresh warnings issued on Covid

It is both reasonable and understandable that the Stormont Executive is trying to facilitate a Christmas that will allow families to meet and businesses to trade at the end of what has been a hugely difficult year.

The problem for ministers and for everyone else, it has to be said, is that the circumstances surrounding the pandemic are far from favourable and this is leading to a deepening sense of alarm.

Last Friday, non essential shops, restaurants and hairdressers were among a range of businesses allowed to reopen following the two week circuit breaker.

It was no great surprise that with less than two weeks to go until Christmas, many shops were extremely busy with lengthy queues in places, including the Abbeycentre in Newtownabbey where hundreds were pictured waiting in line outside Primark.

Such scenes will rightly cause considerable concern at a time when we are all being urged to observe social distancing and the other rules that will help to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

The sight of crowded streets will add to the sense of unease that is developing about the relaxation of the latest restrictions while positive cases remain stubbornly high.

Dr Tom Black, chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, predicted that another lockdown could be announced by the end of this month. He acknowledged that politicians want to give the public a Christmas but said the 'logical decision now' would be to go into another four weeks of lockdown.

Also yesterday, the chief executives of the north's six health trusts have warned of a 'very real risk' that hospital will be overwhelmed in the event of a further Covid-19 spike in January.

Experience tells us that cases increase following the easing of curbs and with three household bubbles permitted to socialise between December 23 and 27, there is a clear potential for a surge in infections in the new year.

This is undoubtedly a worrying time and the news that a new variant of coronavirus has been identified in England where cases have increased rapidly will make people even more apprehensive about what we might be facing in the weeks ahead.

Last week was a positive one in terms of the rollout of the vaccine and the reopening of some businesses but the grim realities of Covid-19 have not left us.

People must act responsibly but if matters do not improve we can expect further interventions from Stormont.