Comment: First positive steps into Spring as Fife emerges from lockdown

Monday’s long-awaited re-opening of a huge number of businesses - from shops to bars to gyms - went smoothly, and it was good to see people back in Kirkcaldy town centre, with queues outside many premises as they shopped safely and, it has to be said, considerately.

The next big step is to study the data three weeks down the line.

Our hope is the COVID figures remain contained and we can continue our road map out of lockdown.

There are still businesses to unlock - some pubs have yet to open, sports stadiums remain locked to fans, the leisure industry isn’t yet back to full operational capacity, and, worryingly, our theatres will remain dark until September.

Our hope is they too will return sooner rather than later - jobs depend on them, and so too much of our culture.

https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/column-donations-and-decorations-a-tricky-corner-for-boris-johnson-3221344

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The lifting of lockdown restrictions came as Fife’s COVID figures fell so close to zero.

Just one death has been recorded each week for the past fortnight, and, encouragingly, numbers have remained well within single figures since mid February.

If we can emerge from the first three weeks of re-connecting then we have good cause to look ahead to summer filled with optimism.

Lockdown has been a tough, very long haul for many, many people.

We owe it to them to let them enjoy the rays of summer sunshine once again.

How soon that happens remains very much in our own regularly sanitised hands.