Now we need the UK to get on top of virus

People dancing cheek to cheek in nightclubs, pub-goers jostling to get their order in at the bar, shoppers idly browsing clothing rails.

A busy High Street packed with office workers and those enjoying a trip to Town. Audiences gathering in theatres to get their culture fix.

It will be like turning back the clock.

All the implications of Phase 5 will take time to settle in, just as the eerie emptiness of lockdown took some getting used to.

For all but the most vulnerable, and those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods, this is a time of great celebration. We may not be clear of Covid-19 yet but life within the Bailiwick bubble has enough normality to be reassuringly familiar.

The champagne can flow.

Islanders played their part in executing a strategy that has paid off brilliantly and brought the island out of lockdown long before most of the world can even dream of it.

Congratulations too, and thanks, to the leadership team.

Few outside of that team, led by Dr Nicola Brink, can know the pressure that was on their shoulders back in February and March. None would wish to share the burden.

As they would be the first to say, this is far from over. Complacency would be foolhardy. But it is 42 days and counting since a confirmed case and that must allow us to breathe a small sigh of relief.

Oddly, having been insular for so long, the attention now shifts elsewhere. Instead of the 1pm press briefings at Beau Sejour, the real story is being told in the 5pm briefings at Downing Street.

For the Bailiwick desperately needs the UK, our major partner in trade and travel, to catch up and get on top of this virus.

The signs are good. The numbers are declining each week. But the confirmed cases, prevalence and deaths must get much better before the Bailiwick can relax its guard.

At stake is all the good work that has led us to this privileged position.

That work is paying off. The results can be seen next Saturday.