We cannot let our guard drop amid vaccine excitement, warns Sheffield business leader

We were not prepared for the ravages of the pandemic and became fearful as deaths mounted and, of course, we are not safe yet.

Due to the heroic actions of our NHS and compliance by the majority of our fellow citizens, we have avoided it rising even faster, though it is no satisfaction to those who have lost loved ones, who will question in due course if they were avoidable.

As we now experience a second lockdown, we cannot become complacent with the excitement growing with news of vaccine

It has both to be approved and, as yet, we can only speculate on it’s universal effectiveness.

So it is a time to keep our self discipline and hope if maintained we can yet enjoy Christmas albeit with some restrictions still in place .

It is always tragic when soldiers lose their lives on cusp of a ceasefire, so it would be a similar tragedy if we prematurely let our guard down before a vaccine is rolled out.

It’s not all gloom and doom as front-line services have become more effective in supporting us in safer environments, we are maintaining education for our children and employees have adjusted to working safely at their workplaces or increasingly at home.

There is more realisation by the authorities that the consequences of the pandemic are far reaching and financial support packages should proactively support those adversely affected and doing it retrospectively is no longer acceptable.

It is good to see care homes will be a priority for receiving the vaccine as they suffered in the first lockdown, as did the vulnerable who are also being prioritised .

Many NHS workers suffered as getting personal protective equipment to them proved challenging for the authorities, so now there is no excuse for us addressing this now and being prepared for future occurrences.

The jury is still out on test-and-trace and as yet the credibility of this system has yet to receive universal acceptance, so as we hopefully enter the closing stages of this pandemic next year we must resolve its inadequacies to restore confidence

The reality might be better, but if the perception of its inefficiency lingers it will prejudice everyone else maintaining the self-disciplines of social distancing, hand hygiene and wearing masks as necessary.

Fifty thousand deaths is a devastating milestone for us to reach, everyone a horror story to the families affected, which must focus our minds to review our individual and collective responses.

It will be for an Independent inquiry to test this, including if it was so serious why were preventative measures not early enough to be effective and should they have been made mandatory?

For now, it is for us to protect ourselves and others, weather another lockdown, enjoy a well-earned Christmas, albeit with restrictions, to look forward to a healthier and safer 2021.