Alex Phillips: No facemasks. No Covid passes. Is it the end of the pandemic?

No facemasks. No Covid passes. And no limit on people visiting loved ones in Care Homes. As England removes the last of its restrictions, it is perhaps poignant that we stop and think about what we went through.

The unprecedented horrors of all that we take for granted being torn from us. Humanity itself ransacked of the things that make us human. Not amounts in bank accounts.

Not selfies on Instagram. Not the final word on Twitter. But smiles, hugs, laughter and love. It was these simple exchanges that were sacrificed through face masks and social distancing, restrictions on meeting, touching and bonding.

Perhaps it is poignant that today is also Holocaust Memorial Day. I'm not making a direct comparison. But we wonder how it was possible a nation blindly participated in atrocities against humanity.

Perhaps the last two years showed us that we retain that capacity to obey, even when what is being asked of us would once have been unconscionable. We wonder how it was that such hatred was able to divide fellow man.

Perhaps the last two years showed us that we retain the capacity to hate, to polarise and to blame. When we wrap ourselves in individualism and play out our priorities through the prism of identity politics - and do not stop to question what we do, the divine spark of humanity is tragically obscured.

Today, let's remember that we are creatures of love. Of compassion. Of community.

Today, let's remember that while humanity may be deeply flawed and capable of the most monstrous of acts, a simple smile, a fleeting touch and a tender hug are the greatest weapons against the worst of our natures.