Well, we have had the period of lockdown, have all felt the pain of the pandemic in one way or another and now it seems the world is back to normal (almost). How do you feel about that?

Some people are thrilled to be back out there, dashing in and out of shops, gleefully rubbing on the hand gel – eager to feel the freedom of shopping and have social interaction in the pubs and restaurants again.

Others, like myself, are a little more wary, still only heading out when its necessary, cautiously putting on masks and hurrying to get home again.

Then there are others still, who are still avoiding going out at all and don’t venture any further than their front doors out of fear of a second wave or being the unlucky victim of the invisible virus.

In fact, there are many more people all of whom have different opinions on the subject, and the examples above are just a smattering. What I have noticed, is that at the beginning of the pandemic, people came together. Communities looked after each other and people cared. Now it seems that the mask wearing debate and the lockdown restrictions being lifted have caused greater divisions than the EU Referendum ever did. Those little cracks that appeared between us have widened into gaping chasms.

Whether you love them or hate them though, those little face coverings are now mandatory in shops and with so many people at loggerheads about their functionality, I wanted to take the opportunity to remind everyone that whatever the stance on them – both sides, still have things in common; Those people happy to wear a face covering have the personal opinion and some research on their side that they help to slow the spread of the virus, those who don’t like to wear a face covering may have the opinion and also have read some research, to say that they don’t help to stop the transmission of Covid-19.  Often, both groups of people have medical reasons for wearing or not wearing a face-covering; they may be vulnerable to Covid-19, they may feel claustrophobic or have panic attacks or breathing difficulties. We don’t know, because we aren’t them!

I just want to ask everyone to try to show some understanding. We have our own opinions yes, and we are entitled to that, but everyone’s circumstances are different, and we never truly know that means for someone else.

We have become divided enough as a country – let's concentrate more on understanding those who have different needs. If someone is wearing a mask, don’t be the person who laughs or jokes – if they feel better doing that, who are we to judge? Likewise, if someone doesn’t have a mask, it may be that they have a medical condition that exempts them, and they possibly feel awkward being in public without it – let’s not add to that awkwardness by berating them for it.

All we can do is try to keep ourselves as safe as possible according to our own circumstance and try not to pass judgement on those who are taking a different route than our own.