THERE is no doubt the lifting of remaining Covid-19 restrictions represents a milestone on the long road to recovery from a pandemic that has affected every aspect of our lives.
Over the last two years strict rules have confined us to our homes, stopped us saying goodbye to dying relatives, deprived children of a classroom education and forced down the shutters for long periods on many businesses.
But while there is renewed hope now that constraints on activities we once took for granted are being left behind, the removal of legal restrictions should not, as Professor Ian Young has warned, be regarded as some kind of "freedom day" .
The regulations struck out at 5pm yesterday include the legal requirement to wear face coverings, to show a Covid passport to enter some entertainment venues, and the cap on people allowed to gather in homes.
The changes are particularly welcome for businesses which had been expressing increasing frustration at being unable to return to normal trading.
However, while restrictions are no longer legally enforceable, they remain firmly in place as guidance.
Prof Young has said people should continue to meet outside where possible, wear face coverings where social distancing is not possible, and use lateral flow tests to monitor infection.
In addition, measures which had already been guidance rather than law - such as self-isolating while infected and working from home where possible - have not changed.
While the Omicron variant has not led to large numbers of intensive care admissions, hospitals remain under significant pressure and high infection rates are still affecting staffing levels in the health service, schools and many other sectors.
Almost 3,000 new Covid cases were again recorded yesterday as well as a further four deaths.
The possibility of a more dangerous new variant emerging cannot be ruled out.
And amid the relief felt by many in society at the lifting of restrictions, it should not be forgotten that such news will be a cause for anxiety for elderly or immunocompromised people still fearful of infection.
The Covid crisis brought out the best in people, as communities rallied together in support of vulnerable neighbours, and the hope must be that this spirit survives as we hopefully move out of the pandemic and into a new reality where we learn to live with the virus.
That means continuing to exercise caution and thinking about those around us to ensure the sacrifices of the last two years were not in vain.
