We rely on success beyond our shores

While the details of the ramping up of the Covid-19 vaccination programme are very welcome news, what comes in the next few months is not going to be a simple road to follow.

Guernsey’s size and position with a low prevalence of the virus are big bonuses, but the logistical headaches in distributing the shots remain, as do the decisions on how far to space out the first and second doses.

We will hear more on that this week.

But with the borders closed to all except essential travel because of the worrying situation with the spread in the UK, what may well trump all of that is what navigating the return to normality looks like as the months go by and how quickly that can happen.

We have already seen that shutting things down is in many ways easier than opening them back up again.

Guernsey’s destiny is not its own, reliant as we are on the supply of vaccines from the UK and crucially on other countries getting a firm grip on the situation within their own borders.

We will not be free of travel restrictions and the requirement to self-isolate on return until progress is made all around us.

The tourist industry, islanders who have not seen their relatives in such a long time, students and so many others, look on powerless.

And then comes the tricky judgement of where the line lies, just what will make travel safe again.

The authorities have been cautious so far and it has served the island well.

That our minds can turn to a brighter more open future as the headlines from other nations are so grim is something to be embraced, but as we have seen with the Isle of Man the situation can quickly turn.

This is not the time for complacency and timely communication with the public is part of that.

We will be living with the impact of the virus throughout this year and into the future, no-one can simply flick a switch and make it go away.