TOMORROW, our city faces yet another challenge as we enter Level Four restrictions in our bid to control the latest surge of Covid-19 cases – this will mean non-essential shops, restaurants, cafes, hairdressers and gyms will all have to close.

We all understand that these steps are necessary if we want to stop this virus in its tracks and prevent it from spreading. But that does not make it any easier on us as Glaswegians for our local businesses who were preparing for what is normally the busiest time of the year or our city’s economy, but we know if we want to get back to any sort of normality we must stick to the rules from the get-go.

There is not one Glaswegian who doesn’t know the human cost of this virus spreading.

Too many families will have missing loved ones at dinner tables this Christmas, relatives and friends we have lost before their time, but it is not just the virus alone that is impacting people’s lives – with lockdown many of us have paid a price. 

Glasgow Times: George Square could get a little quieter from Friday George Square could get a little quieter from Friday

I saw for myself when volunteering in a local support hub those who had lost their job or worked in an industry in which the future looked uncertain, not sure where to turn to for advice. 

I witnessed the sharp increase in people struggling with their mental health, not being able to see a way through this pandemic, dealing with depression, anxiety and genuine fear. Tragically, I heard the stories which highlighted how loneliness was affecting people in our communities, many people with no access to digital devices and feared they would not see relatives for months or have a support system if they were to get ill. It is all of those people I am thinking of as we prepare to enter Level Four.

Across the city we are facing the prospect of tens of thousands of jobs vanishing and, with that, people’s livelihoods. These problems will only get worse if we allow businesses to go under and jobs to be lost.

The Scottish Government needs to acknowledge how these required lockdown restrictions are impacting Glaswegians, provide the additional funds needed to not only keep our city going but to ensure our people are safe and have the support needed to get them through. 

We are under no illusion of the level of support required in our city at this time, so that must mean the UK Government getting on board too. That pooling and sharing of resources is the strength of devolution – not the failure some would describe it as. We cannot afford to get this wrong, if we don’t get the right amount of support in place and immediately, we will feel the impacts of this for years to come.

There is no denying the next three weeks will be difficult for many in our communities, but Glasgow has done it before and with a vaccine in our sights, we must do it again. It is vital more than ever that we work together, and that includes both the UK and Scottish Governments – they too must step up and join the fight for Glasgow.