Yesterday was for many of us the new Freedom Day – it brought freedom from those dreaded facemasks we have been wearing for months, and which have become more of a nuisance in the ongoing heatwave.

Although conditions apply, and masks still need to be worn in certain circumstances, the entire nation breathed a collective sigh of relief yesterday as the masks came off.

We are slowly getting there, back to normality, back to our pre-Covid lives, but we must all understand that we’re not there just yet.

The mask relaxation rules came in the same week that bars and restaurants were allowed to remain open until 2am.

But it also comes at a time when people are still openly flouting the rules and ignoring regulations on mass gatherings. It comes at a time when beaches are packed, when village feasts are in full swing (despite the announcement earlier this year that they would not be taking place) and when bars are packed during the Euro 2021 games.

It also comes at a time when the UK is experiencing a spike in cases because of the more contagious Delta variant, and when Malta has opened its doors to tourism.

We are, of course, not saying that people should still their masks all the time, but we are concerned by the lax attitude shown by many with regard to the Covid-19 rules, and who could now interpret the relaxation of mask rules as a sign that the storm has now blown over.

What we mean is: just because the mask rules have been relaxed does not mean that we should let our guard down, or that we can take things for granted and act as if the pandemic is over. It is not.

And, in view of the fact that enforcement seems to be lacking, it is up to each and every one of us to exercise caution and use our common sense.

Footage we published this week of fireworks setting fire to the Nadur countryside went viral, but few seem to have noted the fact that the belvedere was tightly packed with people, some of whom were not wearing a mask.

And what happened a couple of weeks ago during the Zebbug feast (similar incidents have taken place elsewhere over the past few days) is still fresh in our minds.

The mass gatherings at St George’s Bay and other areas keep happening on a daily basis.

Furthermore, between five to six cases have been found every day over the past few days. While the numbers are not alarmingly high, and may not be a cause for concern, they are not the zero cases we had been registering up until last week, either.

It is a good thing that the measures are slowly being relaxed: bars and restaurants are open until late, cinemas have opened too, and the limit on group numbers has increased to six. But that could all be undone if we take things too far and adopt the attitude that we’re back to 2019.

The authorities are relaxing the measures gradually, giving time to see what the effects are before going on to the next round. All we have to do is to follow these rules – we cannot go over and above and think that we know better than the experts.

If we do that, we might have a decent summer ahead of us.