After spending the last few months in the Government's relatively relaxed Tier 2, to find the whole of Somerset suddenly plunged into Tier 4 must have come a shock to many of our residents and certainly to lots of business owners.

But the case numbers speak for themselves - coronavirus is infecting people here and it's spreading.

But Wells and the surrounding villages can rely on the Wells Coronavirus Network (WCN) to help out if you are lonely, isolated or vulnerable.

Hundreds of volunteers are on call to help with those simple but such important tasks - shopping, prescription collections, and a friendly phone call. All it takes is a quick call to the helpline 01749 467079, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm.

Vaccinations have started and 41 WCN volunteers have been acting as marshals this week to help the vaccination programme at West Mendip Hospital in Glastonbury, but it will be months before everyone is jabbed, so until then, it's each one of us who are fighting this pandemic.

Each one of us has a duty to follow the rules. We all know them and now they matter more than ever:

Act as if you are infected - that means staying at home unless you absolutely have to go out; if you are outside, it means wearing your mask and avoiding getting into conversation with more than one person; and, of course, washing and/or sanitising your hands regularly, especially when you return home.