ONE touring group has made a rapid return to the Highland capital after lockdown.

There are currently around 50 online adverts for women “on tour” in the city as escorts.

The numbers plummeted during the height of the virus crisis. It should have fallen to zero. But for anyone who still felt in need of escorting, a handful of opportunities remained. 

However, will prospective clients feel bold or reckless enough to re-engage now that “touring” is back in full swing?

Nicola Sturgeon has given no indication when it will be deemed safe to return to this kind of activity. In the lockdown emergence schedule, we haven’t yet reached phase 105. 

Websites advertising escorts services have for the past few months adorned their pages with chilling warnings about general covid-19 risk, while still displaying photos and phone numbers. They have also blurred out all personal information about charges and other relevant details. 

These restrictions have now been removed. 

The events of the past four months have been viewed very seriously by support groups for some of the women involved. While many from Eastern Europe returned at the start of the coronavirus crisis to their countries of origin, others found themselves in dire straights and close to living on the streets. They turned to these support organisations for help. 

However, for better or for worse, it now seems the industry is very much on the march again, and heading back to Inverness.

It’s not difficult to establish that the female escorts are back here in large numbers. 

Given the level of risk that may still involved, the question is whether their clients are.