Susan Webb, NHS Grampian’s public health director, asks if people across the region are paying as much heed to guidance as they did in the early days of the pandemic.
I am asking everyone in the north-east of Scotland to ask themselves if they are honestly taking the same level of precautions that they were back in April and May?
The virus poses no less a threat to us now than it did then.
The case numbers we are seeing at present are not solely the result of outbreaks in care homes or workplaces.
This virus is circulating widely, and we are seeing community spread in our towns and villages.
The start of a vaccination programme is light at the end of the tunnel – but we are still in that tunnel and will stay there for some months to come.
We have all got to make changes to our behaviour.
We all have to play our part. Anyone can catch Covid-19, and anyone can spread it.
With this in mind, I want to echo the words of the first minister and urge everyone to think extremely carefully about their Christmas plans.
The easing of restrictions for a short period does not oblige any of us to gather indoors with other households.
To do so remains extremely risky. We know you hold the people working in health and social care in high esteem.
You turned out in your thousands to clap for carers during the first wave of the pandemic.
The greatest gift you can give the NHS this year is to limit the spread of this virus.
