With the news that restrictions to combat Covid are set to be in place for the next six months, read what a Hitchin teenager has to say about the situation.

Here's Freddie Cardy's must-read take.

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As a 16-year-old, being forced to leave a pub at 10pm at night is not an issue.

Wearing a face mask in communal areas at school as well as on public transport and shops, is not an issue.

Constant hand-sanitising in classrooms and supermarkets is not an issue.

As things stand, I can go and commentate on my local football team every week, and I can play organised sport with my friends.

So what is the issue?

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The young people of Britain are being forced to pay the fines for this government's incompetence. We are still waiting for a functioning Track and Trace System, regular Covid testing and clear rules of what we can and cannot do.

We are told to call the police on people who do not follow the 'Rule of Six' by government ministers who have just voted to break international law.

In May, we watched in shock as Dominic Cummings showed blatant disregard for driving to Barnard Castle despite showing virus symptoms, failing to apologise or even appear remorseful as he told his story to the media.

And it is the teenagers who get the blame, for apparently socialising too much. Matt Hancock has blamed anyone and everyone for his own failures.

In the middle of the exams crisis where the futures of pupils across the nation were up in the air, we looked for answers in our MPs, but they were all off on summer recess.

During a pandemic. It was thanks to the brave spirit of the British A-Level and GCSE students, who went out and protested for their futures, that justice was achieved.

I joined many on a socially distanced protest a few days before GCSE results day, a day I look back on with pride.

What about this 'Rule of Six'? To put it simply, I cannot meet up with more than five other people.

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Unless I'm in school, where I am in classes of up to 30 people which is considered safe. But once I am outside of school, I must keep well away from them.

Until we go to a wedding or funeral, where we can all congregate again.

If I want to meet even more friends, we can all go on a grouse hunt, where I could take twenty or even thirty with me - it's an 'important priority' according to Hancock.

Government ministers actually held an emergency meeting about grouse hunting to make sure it would be allowed by the new rules, to keep their elitist, upper class pals happy.

Looking ahead to the next six months, I can say that I have no idea what is going to happen, but I can hazard a guess.

More mixed messages from the government. More hypocrisy from Tory ministers and special advisors, who expect us to follow the rules that they break.

More pressure and strain on the NHS; more coronavirus cases and more deaths.

It's worth ending with a bit of positivity though.

By the looks of things, schools will continue to stay open. I can still see my family and friends without having to take up grouse hunting.

Things will get better (they might be already, but the Tories are refusing to publish any data).

But most importantly, my beloved Hitchin Town FC are top of the league.

Stay safe everyone.

Freddie