Like many, I suffered an overwhelming sense of disappointment when Freedom Day was pushed back from June 21st.

Many businesses and individuals had planned around this date, and given that the message was 'we'll protect and vaccinate the vulnerable and we will then be free', they can be rightfully feel let down by the decision to delay a further four weeks before the easing of restrictions.

I appeared in the media ahead of the Prime Minister's announcement and commented on the speculation that I would have to see the data before making a decision.

Having examined the data, I do not understand why we are not opening up and I voted against extending the restrictions, also putting down a marker that the continued restrictions must not be extended again in July.

The issue for me is, if not now then when?

Whilst cases have been growing in recent days, the vast majority of those are within the groups not deemed to be at high risk from covid, and whilst there has been a slight increase in hospitalisations, this is roughly 97 per cent off the peak and the duration of the treatment is less and less with younger patients and better treatments.

I look enviously over the Atlantic where New York, having fully vaccinated 50 per cent of its population, dropped its restrictions this week.

Even California, one most cautious of states, has dropped state rules on social distancing and limits on capacity at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, stadiums.

The UK has a vaccination programme which has outperformed the USA, and is not far behind Israel who has just removed the necessity to wear facemasks indoors.

Of course the argument is that the so called 'Indian' delta variant has changed everything given that it is more transmissible.

However the data showed that the Oxford Astrazeneca vaccine is 92 per cent effective against it and the Pfizer is 95 per cent the same efficacy they have with the original variant.

Those who have contracted the delta variant have reported the symptoms as being akin to a bad cold.

Whilst there are many doomsday scenarios being trotted out by scientists, these simple facts suggest to me and many others that we have surely hit the point where we have to get back to normality and if we don't, we risk setting dangerous precedents that will change our lives forever.

Every winter we have a flu epidemic with up to 30,000 people sadly losing their lives, and there are going to be those who want to adopt the principles of covid and adapt them to flu.

There is an argument that we are losing perspective at this point and whilst every death within a family is a tragedy for those involved, an average of around 1,500 people die every day in the UK and it is unrealistic to suggest we are able totally eliminate covid and its effects.

There is more to life than a constant drive to preserve it, and these lockdowns and restrictions have already robbed young people of 15 months of their lives, robbed many people of 15 months of their income and livelihoods.

It's very easy for those with guaranteed incomes and comfortable lifestyles to say it's only another four weeks. It's four weeks that could tip many people over the edge, another four weeks of many people's mental health being compromised, another four weeks of GPs not operating surgery as normal, another four weeks of business closed, or people languishing on furlough.

Make no mistake, the longer we go on, the more people are losing their confidence and becoming deskilled.

For me the risks being portrayed by scientists of dropping restrictions do not outweigh the real dangers being posed by another four weeks of this.

The advantages the fast rollout of the vaccine gave us are now being eroded away by the caution of those for whom lockdown has not been the burden that it has been for many others.