Letters - Thursday, March 19, 2020

Obviously the Covid-19 problem needs addressing in a sensible manner, and it’s equally obvious that segregation and isolation are helpful with viral infections.

But the announcement that all people over 70 need to remain isolated for four months is somewhat draconian and difficult to do, and even more difficult to enforce.

A large percentage of over seventies live alone (me included) almost as large a percentage will have no living relatives or no relatives living close (me included) to be able to carry out daily chores, such as shopping.

This may be a bit of a troublesome or inconvenient situation in a large urban area, it is totally different situation in large rural areas when shopping is miles away.

This is exacerbated as residents in villages tend to be older and therefore an entire village could be isolated - it has not been thought through, Social Services can’t do it!

Many people over 70 may not have computers, or if the have, may not have a clue about shopping online, and many will not be used to online payments etc, much preferring to use cash. However, these people will be astute enough to be ‘canny’ with financial information, they won’t be giving PIN details to a total stranger going to the bank for them, will they?

Apart from shopping, a visit to the bank will be needed over four months. Although the full details of the infection transmission level is somewhat vague, it clearly does pass from person to person, possibly more by contamination rather than traditional flu, that explains the hand washing suggestions.

Someone of any age, sat in a train or bus, and then visiting a huge and crowded ‘out of town’ hypermarket is obviously at a greater risk than someone over 70 travelling in their own car to a small rural shop/supermarket, that may have 10 or 20 shoppers wandering around.

Paul Sherwood

via email

POLITICS

President Trump and Caligula

Ever since the election of Donald Trump as US President, I have felt as if I was reliving scenes from episodes of the works of Robert Graves’ I Claudius and his portrayal of Roman emperors.

Trump’s ruthless and vainglorious attitude towards anyone critical of his boastful claims would outmatch even the most tyrannical Emperor of that period.

Surrounded by a coterie of slavish devotees or cowed White House staffers, he has rode roughshod over any dissent, dismissing it as ‘fake news.’

His latest response and attitude towards the coronavirus epidemic is on a par with the deranged and delusional Caligula.

Although now even his blue collar Proletariat and Praetorian Guard appear to be recognising how unhinged he is.

Hopefully the November election will abort any chance of him attaining a further term of office.

Has anyone ever noticed if he can play the harp or plays with matches as a hobby?

Denis Lee

Ashton

VIRUS

No one can eat toilet paper

Any people watcher, standing outside a branch of any superstore of a major grocery retailer, will not have failed to see the number of toilet rolls being purchased – often to the exclusion of any food products.

This worries me because I can envisage a period, in the not too far distant future, when house front doors have to be broken down and bodies of people, who have starved to death, are found on the floor, surrounded by unused toilet rolls.

It is a sadness that these people may have survived coronavirus only to starve themselves to death.

Jim Walker

address supplied

VIRUS

Disease risks in supermarkets

Recently, I observed a young woman in a well known local supermarket. She took a tester lipstick from the display and put it to her lips. She then returned the tester to the stand.

This is a perfect conduit for spreading Covid-19, not to mention other viruses, for example, herpes, the cold sore virus. Most people apply testers to the back of their hands – hands that touch the face, a perfect way to transmit disease. I contacted three supermarkets, and the Environmental Health Department. Quite frankly, it has been like batting my head against a brick wall.

J Carol Edmunds

Soroptimist International

VIRUS

More cases in the south east?

Isn’t it interesting how most of our news is taken up with coronavirus? Could it be because the South East, mostly London, has more cases than us up North?

Meanwhile the Government will inevitably advise all those over 75 years to stay indoors as much as possible. What a time to make them all start paying for their TV licences.

Hilary Andrews

via email