DERRY JOURNAL Editorial: We’ve done so well, let’s not drop the ball now

But with differences the north and south of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales, it’s hardly surprising so many of us are a little confused. Living in a border region compounds that confusion. There is so much noise coming at us that it is hard to keep up, and it is hard too not to feel sorry for those tasked with trying to navigate a path through these uncharted waters. It can’t be easy. What is clear is that these are big, complex issues - how do you avoid economic collapse and further job losses while ensuring people can go back to work without being put at risk? How do you safely teach a class full of children in a pandemic? How do you ensure people can travel safely?

Thankfully, for the most part here common sense and caution have prevailed, albeit not without unfortunate interventions from some. Hopefully our politicians will continue to listen to schools, workers, businesses, unions and families who know better than anyone what can and can’t be done, and will continue to have the courage to diverge from central government directives.

The people of Ireland went early into lockdown. It is thanks to the efforts of all of us that we have reached this point, and frustrating though it is right now, a slow and steady return to some semblance of normality is the right course to avoid another spike and a more prolonged and even more restrictive lockdown.

It’s easy to forget what this is all about - saving lives. That was brought home to me when I saw the photographs dropping in from Thursday night’s Act of Remembrance at Altnagelvin Hospital. This is a matter of life and death.

We have all done so well, let’s not drop the ball now. We have eight weeks over us and we will just have to live with lockdown for that bit longer to avoid a second, and this time preventable, tragedy unfolding.