As things stand, North Ayrshire would be placed in level one of the Scottish Government’s coronavirus restrictions system due back later this month.

Public Health Scotland data shows that there were 23 cases of coronavirus recorded in North Ayrshire between April 3-9.

Our update last week covered the period from March 23-29 as data for the weekend was unavailable due to public holidays. When the most up-to-date data is compared with that period, it shows a decrease in case numbers of 92.

It gives the area a seven day rate per 100,000 population of 17.1.The level one threshold is 20.

And 35 out of 38 neighbourhoods in North Ayrshire are currently classified as having suppressed the virus, the only exceptions being Stevenston Hayocks, Irvine Castlepark North, and Ardrossan North East, with 5, 4 and 3 cases respectively.

The latest data from the National Records of Scotland shows that two people in North Ayrshire died where COVID was mentioned on the death certificate between March 29-April 4, an increase from zero the week before.

The vaccination programme continues apace, with health chiefs confirming that more than 200,000 in Ayrshire have now received at least one dose of a COVID vaccine.

In North Ayrshire 66.7 per cent of the adult population have now had a first jag, up from 60.4 per cent reported last week and 10.7 per cent have had a second too, up from 5.9 per cent last week.

Across the country smidgens of normality are beginning to emerge as restrictions are gradually eased.

Last week saw the return of garden centres, hair salons, and homeware stores.

School students of all ages will begin attending in person as soon as the Easter half-term break is over, with some council areas seeing them return already.

The Scottish Government is hoping to remove the travel ban in mainland Scotland from the end of April (26). And around the same time the government hopes to announce a whole swathe of restrictions being eased.

Retail premises, libraries, museums and galleries, and tourist accommodation could be allowed to open, the hospitality sector might be able to serve alcohol outdoors, and potentially open indoors for non-alcohol service.

Four people from two households could be able to socialise indoors in a public place and six people from up to three houses could meet outdoors. The limit on wedding and funeral attendance could be upped to 50.

Gyms and pools would be open and non-essential childcare would be permitted and non-essential work in homes and driving lessons could resume.