THE past six months have been very scary for all of us.

Even for those who are sceptical about the level of risk that the coronavirus poses, there is no argument that it poses some danger to all of us.

And so rightly, a huge number of people have either stayed at home almost entirely since the end of March, or only ventured out for the bare essentials.

In doing so, we have undoubtedly helped to stymie the progress of the virus and relieved the pressure on the health service incalculably.

A large part of the reason the Government initially told people to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary was because we had so little information about this virus, we just didn’t know what was safe.

Now, after six months of the world’s top scientists looking at this thing, we’ve got a much better idea.

Therefore, the Government is changing its advice on an almost weekly basis to reflect the latest evidence.

At time of writing, that means it is deemed safe to go out of our houses; to meet with friends and family in parks and other public places; to go shopping, get on the bus or train (as long as you are wearing a face covering) and even go to restaurants, cafes and pubs.

Even if you took the most cynical view possible and said the Government doesn't really care about people's health, it only cares about the economy – well, it's still a group of elected politicians who, at the moment, cannot afford to have a PR disaster on their hands from a massive resurgence in cases because they have not enforced rules strictly enough.

More cases is bad news for everyone, and the current rules and restrictions really are keeping us all safe.

So when we and Oxford City Council say it is safe for you to go back into your city, please trust us.

The number of people out there in the city is still so low, and small businesses are desperate for your business, so it really is the perfect time to Rediscover Oxford.