There is always plenty to debate when it comes to the end of lockdown

So here we go: another step along the government’s roadmap aiming for the end of lockdown.

There has been plenty of talk from readers as they share their thoughts on the latest Covid-19 variant. You can see the two sides of the debate on our letters page, and it is clear that feelings are running high. Some are deeply concerned by the way things have been handled, while others are desperate for the new variant not to have an effect on the remaining timeline for ending lockdown.

In Voices, Amy Nickell has written about how she is looking forward to things like going to the cinema again, while James Moore wrote on Saturday about the caution he feels over the latest measures. I'm sure this is being replicated across the country, with some people overjoyed to be moving towards the freedom promised (for now at least) in June, and some who would prefer to be moving a little slower.

Whatever you feel about how Boris Johnson is dealing with the India variant – and Labour's Yvette Cooper, writing for The Independent, is very clear that she believes the prime minister is making a mistake – the way forward is a difficult path. Whatever happens, a proportion of the population is bound to be left feeling as though the wrong decision has been made.

As with everything Covid-related, there are no simple decisions – and there will always be disagreement about how things should be handled. There is no doubting that mistakes have been made by the government during the pandemic, as many of our readers have pointed out during the past 12 months. The aim should be to make no more.

I'm sure the debate about the way forward will continue to be had across our letters page, and we will be here to keep you up to date with whatever comes next.

Yours,

Chris Stevenson

Voices editor