Who is tired of lockdowns, shutdowns, restrictions, lineups, masks, sanitizers, social distancing, physical distancing, no congregating, no socializing, etc.?

Perhaps the better question is: Who isn't tired of all that – and more? (Plus no golf, tennis, pickle ball … Seriously?)

But we have come this far, been through the ups and downs of an unprecedented global pandemic, so we all know the routine. (Remember when hand-washing was the buzz term? Now it’s just part of our routine. Meantime, so many other phrases have since come and gone, it's difficult to recall them all.)

We have heard it all before: “Now is not the time to let down our collective guard,” “We're all in this together,” “Let's be kind and caring.” Cliches, absolutely. But true, undoubtedly.

What's next? All signs point to Premier Doug Ford extending our month-old stay-at-home order for another two weeks – June 2 is the date most often mentioned.

And, as other experts also have suggested, Niagara Region's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, says mid-June is likely a better decision.

He is right and, much as we all really don't want to see our activities curtailed any longer, we owe it to each other to abide by the restrictions and do our part to try to ensure we don't get swamped by a fourth wave. (Q: Who remembers when a second wave was just a possibility? A: Everybody. Q: Who wants to go through a fourth wave and inevitable shutdown, with more people sick and dying? A: Nooooobody.)

As pharmacist Sean Simpson mentioned this week, we are at the point where a great many people have received their first dose of COVID vaccine and many more doses will soon be available. There is light at the end of the pandemic tunnel and much as we detest the idea of staying home and curtailing our regular activities, it is the right thing to do.

Yes, we've said that before, but then Ontario reopened society too quickly, and look where it got us.

It's obvious from the science to date that getting vaccinated is one of the key ways to wrestle this pandemic to the mat. And getting whatever shot is available is probably your wisest choice.

As Simpson told us: “The sooner we all get vaccinated and are afforded that protection, the sooner we'll all be able to get back to our normal lives or whatever our normal lives are going to look like.”

That's the thing: we're not sure what normal will look like in July or September or next Christmas. But we don't want it to mean lockdown or shutdown.

So, we need to tough it out, stay home a little longer, so we can find out what that normal will be.

We've come this far. Let's learn from our past mistakes.