“Precarious and unpredictable” are not the words anyone in Scotland wanted to hear at this stage in the Covid pandemic.
And yet, anyone who still has half an eye on the statistics that were once a part of our daily lives will have noticed cases are rising rapidly and deaths are occurring all too often.
More than 2,000 new Covid cases were recorded in Scotland in the past 24 hours.
The 20 new coronavirus-related deaths included one in Dundee and one in Fife.
So it’s no shock to learn the prospect of tighter restrictions is being aired. But it’s a little sickening all the same.
No one wants to give up hard-won freedoms and return to lockdown.
But that is not what is being discussed.
Our understanding of Covid-19 is light years ahead of what we knew last spring.
Testing is widely available and can be done simply at home.
The arguments for masks and social distancing are no longer in dispute.
Vaccination has helped to limit the spread.
One million #coronavirus booster or third dose vaccinations have now been delivered, to give longer lasting protection from the virus.
For more information about the coronavirus booster visit https://t.co/35F0xYqRyC. pic.twitter.com/VMhh1q79Ok
— Scottish Government (@scotgov) November 9, 2021
The continuing roll-out of the programme and a high uptake of the booster jab will keep it in check.
Covid Scotland review will come next week
It is against this backdrop that the Scottish Government is reviewing its guidance ahead of an announcement next week.
Announcing the plans at Holyrood, John Swinney said cases are at a “concerningly high level”.
But he insists there is no appetite to return to the level of disruption that knocked individuals, businesses and the economy for six previously.
Instead the government will consider measures such as extending the Covid passport scheme, encouraging more home working and greater use of face coverings.
It’s regrettable that these steps may be necessary.
But in the grand scheme of all we have sacrificed before, they seem a small price to pay for public safety.
And for those families in Scotland dealing with the death of a loved one from Covid today, they must seem like nothing worth bothering about at all.