We must obey rules - or face even further restrictions, warns Sheffield business leader

The reality is the more we get together, the closer we do it and the frequency will only increase the consequences of it.

However we cannot lockdown and isolate everything as we balance saving lives, the economy and our way of life.

We can only look at France and Germany to realise the seriousness of the predicament we find ourselves trying to protect schools and jobs, while protecting the NHS and saving lives.

So we have to balance keeping the economy and education open while containing the pandemic.

A challenging task for our government, but clearly many others also, as there is a knife edge balance between giving more freedom and stimulating the spread of the coronavirus.

So if we want to keep our children at school, workplaces safe and maintain a semblance of leisure activities, we have to consistently maintain our self discipline of distancing, hand hygiene and mask-wearing.

Can we look ourselves in the mirror as more cancer patients are denied treatment because resources are switched to cope with the coronavirus?

The front-line workers will not have the Christmas we crave for if we lose our discipline. After their sterling efforts, do they deserve that?

Not doing it cannot now be an option, even among the most sceptical and cynical as our freedoms come at the cost of others and they must come with responsibilities also.

We cannot use the mistakes made by a government adjusting to a new situation as an excuse for our indiscipline.

We have to ask ourselves, do we want more unemployment, break the hearts of our children by isolating them by closing their schools, putting Christmas at risk or worse replicating the deaths of the elderly and vulnerable?

Do we really want even more severe restrictions, where permissions may be required to enjoy freedoms we have always taken for granted?

This pandemic should make us think the unthinkable.

However if we stop and think there just be time to avoid further and tougher restrictions.

We know now what we must individually and collectively do to prevent their imposition .

If we are to break the rise of the virus we have to accept restrictions, the government must show leadership to learn from the past, provide the best guidance/equipment , above all resource local government to protect financially those who are affected, operate a locally a efficient and easily accessible test and trace infrastructure.

Failure to work collaboratively on this may put us in the last chance saloon.