It’s the only story in town – almost literally. Coronavirus – and more specifically Covid-19, the disease that it causes – is dominating the news in a way that no other subject has done since, probably, the Second World War.
And it’s a situation that looks likely to continue for weeks, if not months, to come.
But amid all the worry and gloom – and there has, understandably, been plenty of that – it’s been gratifying, too, to see the ways communities have rallied round to help where they can, as in the case of new initiatives in Helensburgh and Lomond to help those who are in particular need, and all reported in print and online over the last few days.
What the coronavirus, and its impact, will also do is cause a significant change in the way the Advertiser operates – at least for the next few weeks.
For a start, although this column was written in its original form when I was sat at my office desk, as you read these words online we are working from home, and have been now for a few days.
That in itself will present plenty of challenges - though we’ll still be contactable on the usual phone numbers and email addresses.
And more importantly, while we are all fit and healthy at the moment, there may well come a time when some members of the already small Advertiser team – and the Clyde Weekly Press group of titles of which we’re a part – are directly affected by the virus.
READ MORE: Helensburgh Costa manager: I had to close completely to protect the public
In the more immediate term, almost none of the community events, school activities, public meetings, AGMs, cheque presentations and so on that form our bread and butter each week are happening.
So there may not be a lot of non-coronavirus news around for a bit. And that’s before I even mention the almost total suspension of sport, locally and nationally.
Also, while we will cover the coronavirus story in detail, both in print and online, it is such a fast-moving subject that most, if not all, of our coverage will probably appear on our website first, in order to get the word out as quickly as possible.
Some of the short-term changes to the Advertiser’s content are already evident in our latest print edition. Others will kick in from the March 26 edition onwards, so please do bear with us as we, like you, adjust to an exceptionally unusual situation.
This is not a plea for sympathy, though: I’m very well aware that there are more important things in life than the impact of coronavirus on the Advertiser.
What I will do is promise you this: while these are particularly challenging circumstances, which none of us have encountered before, we will continue to do what we’ve always done, which is to report as much of the news as we can, to the very best of our ability, using all the tools that are available.
Local newspapers like the Advertiser have a unique and vital role to play in situations like this by keeping the community informed of all the latest news and information and, hopefully, entertained too.
We know how fortunate we are to be in that position, and we'll do our level best to live up to the high standards you rightly expect of us.
READ MORE: Catch up with all the latest Helensburgh and Lomond news headlines here
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