Letters - Wednesday, September 23, 2020

I’ve just heard on the teatime news that Blackpool is exempt from the new lockdown restrictions, while Cleveleys, 20 minutes down the road is not.

I feel I must write and ask WHY? Blackpool actually has a higher rate of infection than Cleveleys. The only conclusion I can come to is that Blackpool cares more about bringing money into the town than they do about the health of the residents.

If the pubs in the other areas of Lancashire close at 10 pm it will just encourage everyone into the town from the surrounding areas, putting us at risk.

The illuminations are on until the new year so I dread the strain it will put on our local hospital during the winter months, not just from the virus but normal winter ailments.

Of course I realise that Blackpool relies on its visitors to keep the town going, and I am sorry for people whose livelihoods are at risk, and for local businesses. In normal times I myself enjoy visiting the pubs and restaurants and welcome visitors.

However, these are not normal times. At the end of the day your health is your wealth.

(Letter received before yesterday’s Government announcements.)

Ann Fortt

Blackpool

Virus

We’re not carping Jacob Rees-Mogg

I noted that Jacob Rees-Mogg complained about people carping about not being able to get a test. This is important to the people, it is a life or death decision for many.

Rees-Mogg has enough money to buy one privately; he is one of those with more money than sense.

Even if he was bankrupt he would still have more money than sense.

Terry Bennett

Blackpool

Virus

Covid testing stats mislead the public

The Health Secretary has proudly “updated” the House of Commons that over three million Covid tests have now been “completed”. This follows Mr Hancock’s late April claim to have completed over 100,000 tests in one day.

In truth, the April claim was bogus, as some 80,000 of that number was actually represented by home test kits having been merely mailed out. However, the present claim is equally bogus, since in scientific truth a test is only complete once the result has been obtained.

What the minister refers to is only the sample gathering stage, the precursor of the actual lab work to perform the test proper, which then yields the result to be returned to the ‘testee’.

We now recognise the inadequacies within the covid testing regime, in poor access to “testing centres” (in reality, sample gathering centres), the lack of capacity in labs which actually perform the tests proper, and inordinate delays in results being returned.

Ministers, MPs and indeed media commentators display scientific illiteracy every time they repeat this ‘terminological inexactitude’, which misleads the public as to the level of progress being made.

John Rayner

via email

Virus

Trouble in store without masks

I read with interest an article that one major supermarket to appoint over 2,240 new staff to “clean up” their stores in order to restore confidence in their customers.

What would restore my confidence, and that of many others, would be if they appointed a security person on the entrance door at every store to insist that people wear a mask.

I was surprised and worried recently when visiting my local supermarket to find that around 10-15 people were not wearing masks. I enquired of the store manager why they weren’t imposing the ban. I was told that he had been told by the police that he needn’t impose this!

I mentioned to him that I wouldn’t be allowed to smoke in his store, which he agreed. But masks were different?

Subsequently I have written to the relevant authorities for clarification of the law.

The police say they are not the “primary” agency for ensuring compliance, without actually saying who is.

A reply is on its way from my MP but do I stand any chance of getting a reply from Matt Hancock? I ear that this will not be forthcoming.

I am sure many of your readers will agree that if this law is adhered, there might be a better chance of helping to slow the rise once again of this deadly virus.

Pat Rhodes

address supplied