Quarantine will lose jobs and ruin economy

FROM today, airline passengers arriving into this country will have to self-isolate for 14 days and provide contact details. There will be spot checks and fines for anyone who disobeys.

This should have been made compulsory when the pandemic started, not now when the rest of the world is opening its borders after lockdowns have been lifted.

The handling of the crisis by this Government has been shambolic and as a result we have one of the highest death rates in Europe.

The longer this continues, the greater the damage to the economy. It’s time to get things moving again. PHILIP GRIFFITHS,

Prenton, Wirral. THE Government has made one almighty gamble. A 14- day quarantine for travellers or the jobs of millions dependent on tourism and permanent damage to the economy.

R. MARSHALL, Sheffield. THE new quarantine measures are three months too late. Thousands of infected people came into Britain in late February and early March. Rev ANDREW McLUSKEY,

Ashford, Middlesex. IF THOSE entering this country have to self-isolate for 14 days, why not just put up a sign at every entry point saying: ‘Sorry, Britain is shut. Go home.’

C. GRIMMER, Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Drivers behaving badly

AS An nHS professional working in the field of diabetes, I cycle to the houses of patients too sick to come to hospital.

As lockdown has eased, the danger and malice on the roads has increased, as reflected in rising pedestrian fatalities.

In the past few weeks, while on duty I’ve been spat at by drivers performing near misses, had windscreen wiper fluid sprayed at me and a two-litre bottle of Coke was thrown at me from an oncoming car.

While I appreciate the goodwill directed to nHS staff, I’d prefer it if motorists help reduce the burden on the health service by not threatening to transform me from a practitioner into a patient.

MAX DESANCHA, London SE10.

Fair and tolerant Britain

I WOULD like to add my condemnation of the death of George Floyd. The four American policemen who were responsible for his death deserve to be punished severely for their actions.

Many people are criticising Britain for racism, discrimination and a lack of opportunity for black and Asian people. I accept there is racism in Britain, though it’s not as bad as it was in the Seventies and Eighties, but I disagree that there is a lack of opportunities.

There are many positive role models in football, athletics and music. In politics, two of the top jobs are occupied by Asian people, Rishi Sunak as Chancellor and

Priti Patel as Home Secretary. In the area where I live, there are lots of Asian and Afro- Caribbean shops, takeaways, barbers and hairdressers. I work with people from all communities, so there is nothing stopping BAME people from getting on.

Things are not perfect in this country, but most people get on well with each other.

A good indication of this are the many mixed-race relationships and the fact that so many white people attended the Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Let’s be more honest and acknowledge that progress has been made in the past few years. Britain is a fair and tolerant country for everyone to live in. GEORGE RADLEY, Smethwick, W. Mids.

Bank on youth

I AGREE with Professor Karol Sikora that now we know coronavirus is not a random killer, the one- size-fits-all lockdown must come to an end (Mail).

The young and fit with no underlying health issues should go back to work with immediate effect to help bring our economy back to life. This will end the need for the Government to continue to borrow more and more money, which will require paying back by the younger generation.

JAMES WOOD, Lincoln. HOW selfish and short-sighted to say that under-40s like me are reasonably safe from the worst effects of Covid-19 and should be getting back to normal.

We could pass the virus on to our parents and grandparents. Why would we put our loved ones at risk? We are all in this together, regardless of age.

MIKE JEYNES, Redditch, Worcs.

Insurers must pay out

InSURERS must pay out for Covid- 19 claims. If there is coverage for infectious disease outbreaks, insurers have no right to deny liability simply because they failed to factor pandemics into their pricing.

I was a U. S. re- insurance underwriter at the time of the 9/11 attacks. We priced our business for all of the usual expected hazards our clients could face — storm, earthquake and fire — but not for the deliberate steering of aircraft into buildings. nevertheless, we paid out.

Failure to understand the risks that they run is the fault of insurers, not of policyholders.

STEVE EDWARDS, Bishop’s Stortford, Herts.

Egg on BBC’s face

THE BBC won’t be making any new episodes of Eggheads because the quiz show’s audience is considered to be too old.

The Corporation is chasing younger viewers aged 16 to 24. Without going into the argument that we oldies also pay a licence fee, this is yet more evidence of the BBC dumbing down.

One of my favourite programmes used to be Bargain Hunt, but it has become a competition between experts who fancy themselves as song and dance artists. The teams seem to think they are judged by how loudly they can squeal their way around antiques fairs.

I await with trepidation Strictly Come Springwatch and The Repair Shop On Ice.

CHRIS SMITH, Pawlett, Somerset.