One of the most difficult decisions for governments across the world in response to the Covid-19 crisis is whether to treat it as a health emergency or an economic one.

It’s patently both, but how to balance one against the other has become the defining discussion, more than a year into the pandemic.

Battening down the hatches is what we had to do to reduce the spread of the infection and limit as far as possible the numbers who would lose their lives from this unprecedented and dangerous situation. But now the vaccination roll out is well underway and the infection rates are mercifully, for now at least, coming down, the Scottish Government needs to update its plans.

Everyone knows we can’t stay in lockdown indefinitely, and there will come a point where enforced economic inactivity will cause extremely significant and long-lasting damage.

It’s been a secondary thought for much of the year, but if millions lose their jobs the issue of poverty and all the negative health, education and social outcomes that brings could become a pandemic in its own right.

That’s why ministers need to act now.

Nicola Sturgeon’s exit plan, so far, has been extremely disappointing. Unlike the UK Government’s proposals, there is no hope, no ambition, and no certainty for the thousands of businesses who are hanging on by their fingertips.

Even before the pandemic struck, the SNP government wasn’t doing enough for businesses. It had created a miserable, counter-productive and unfair taxation environment in which to operate and completely failed to encourage growth, productivity and entrepreneurship. Its high-tax regime was only serving to drive away wealth-creators.

During the coronavirus crisis, it has been slow to get money out the door, and continues to sit on considerable funds which have arrived from the UK Government while businesses struggle to get by.

It won’t be good enough to leave this until the virus has been sufficiently suppressed.

The Scottish Government needs to start thinking now about economic recovery, and must set out detailed plans and assurances in relation to jobs and business opportunities. A good place to start would be taking its divisive plans for separation off the table altogether, and start focusing on the things which really matter.

We keep hearing about how the pandemic presents a chance to change things for the better going forward. In the few weeks that are left of this parliament, ministers have to prove they are serious about repair, recovery and the bright future we all deserve to look forward to.