The final push
THE Sun is proud of this great nation.
After one of the grimmest years in living memory we were all longing to spend a few precious days with our families over Christmas.
But the vast majority of us stuck to the new rules and helped to slow the spread of Covid.
Now, we must redouble our tremendous efforts.
Why? Because today the UK stands at a crossroads.
Down one path, new cases plateau, our health service stands tall, and within a few months — thanks to the vaccine — life goes back to near normal.
Down the other, the NHS becomes overwhelmed, we see another spike before the vaccine rollout is complete — and this miserable recession drags on for years.
The Government is right to be opening schools in January: keeping kids out of classrooms could be damaging in the long term, and should be treated as a nuclear option.
But in every other area of life, we must all make a renewed effort to follow the rules to protect each other from Covid.
The end of this dreadful period is, at last, in sight. Time for one last, almighty push.
Miracle jab
THREE cheers for the Oxford vaccine — and the brilliant scientists behind it.
The jab — which is due to be approved by regulators today — is even more effective than previously believed.
And because Britain has the resources and the capacity to inoculate 25 million people by the spring, the path back to normality is finally clear.
Across the rest of the world things are looking up, too.
With jab programmes now up and running in Asia, Europe and America, someone, somewhere in the world will be vaccinated every few seconds for the next two or three years.
2020 has been a rough year by any standards. But for modern medicine, it has been truly triumphant.
A fuelish plan
THERE has never been a worse time to raise fuel duty.
We see why smart Treasury officials living in swanky London houses are tempted: with the Tube and regular buses to hand, it will hardly impact THEM at all.
But for families outside the capital who rely on their cars to shop and to commute, it would be a disaster.
As for truckers — the unsung heroes of 2020, who spent the pandemic ferrying essential supplies up and down the country — it could be ruinous.
We know the Chancellor needs to start refilling the country’s coffers. But kicking ordinary workers while they’re down is the WRONG way to go about it.
