From the Editor: Hoping for clarity but only clear thing is we are confused

Confusion reigned – yet again – yesterday afternoon when it was not at all clear which level of lockdown was to be imposed on this city.

Even when it was finally confirmed that we are now tier 2, we were left with more questions than answers.

This would make a great comedy sketch and is ideal for Spitting Image. The problem is thousands of lives depend on us getting this right and hundreds of businesses are seriously worried about survival. When reporters, who are experts in interpreting political waffle, are left scratching their heads then you know you are in trouble.

Every single one of us needs to know what the best way forward is and we deserve detailed explanations. We all have to follow these new restrictions but the battle to win our hearts and our minds has been lost. That makes the difficult and dark days of winter even more worrying than necessary.

There is very little evidence being made public about whether the local lockdowns already experienced by our neighbouring cities work. Now Sheffielders are being stopped from visiting the homes of our loved ones, ever extra step erodes away at the little trust which remains.

What really seems to be missing here is compassion for us mere human beings who are trying to do the right thing but no longer understand what that means.

We deserve rules which reflect the needs of our local area and will truly make a difference. We all want to stop this horrible virus and we will follow the rules when they come into force tomorrow. I just wish we could see the longer term plan, if it exists. I wish we could be confident that the new tier system is not only a suitable answer but that tier two is absolutely right for Sheffield. I wish I could give detailed explanations to the completely reasonable questions which have flooded in from our readers, all desperate to understand the impact on their daily lives. The lockdown detail is what matters for how we get through the next few weeks and I, for one, am still not clear on far too many aspects. Tiers or tears? We all know which Sheffield is on the verge of today ...