Be vigilant or risk more lockdowns

■ SO, Boris Johnson has said there were difficulties getting people in Leicester to understand and follow Government advice on what they are supposed to do.

But it’s understandable that people might be confused when the Government itself is giving out mixed messages and the PM’s chief adviser broke lockdown.

We had the change from the simple “stay at home” slogan to the more ambiguous “stay alert”. Why tell people they can drive anywhere they want then castigate them for flocking to the coast? What did ministers expect? The Government’s incompetence beggars belief – and I think Leicester will be the first of many local lockdowns.

Arthur Wood, Leeds

■ There may be other contributing factors to the spike of Covid infections in Leicester but it is, however, a timely reminder not to be too complacent about the easing of lockdown.

Trips en masse to the beach, parties and gatherings where rules of social distancing are not observed could have dire consequences for other places too. In a new worrying development it appears infections in Leicester are now up among children too. It’s time to reject the Cummings effect and, if you need to, stay indoors or risk further lockdowns. Diane Silva, Bournemouth

■ Some people thought the lockdown was being relaxed far too quickly but Boris Johnson was caught between a rock and a hard place. He was going to be damned whatever he did but by listening to Dominic Cummings and ignoring the warnings from scientists, we are staring into the abyss once again.

Leicester’s lockdown will only be the start of many because once the “stay at home” message was replaced with “stay alert”, too many people thought coronavirus was over. We’re far from that and it could be too late to stop a spike. Ashley Smith, March, Cambs

■ As a pensioner who’s been in lockdown for three months, I’m finding it hard to work out which is more dangerous, the virus or this Government.

One could be gone in a year or so but we know for a fact we’ll have to live with the other for the next four-and-a-half years. I fear in the long run, those in charge of our country will prove to be far more dangerous than the virus.

I hope all those who switched from red to blue at the last election are proud of themselves as they have landed us with the most corrupt and irresponsible government of my lifetime. James Rooney, Elgin, Moray

■ It beggars belief that so many idiots are ignoring social distancing rules at mass gatherings and raves. The lockdown is being eased, not lifted, and the virus is still here.

Don’t the younger generation realise there is a pandemic?

We all want to get back to normal but they are making it worse and, after what’s happened in Leicester, I fear there will be more spikes in built-up areas. Jennifer Phelps Somerton, Somerset

■ The way rules have been flouted, especially by those who should know better, ie Cummings, it was inevitable some of the country would have to reimpose restrictions.

I suspect Leicester won’t be the only place to go back into lockdown. George Prout, Cambridge

■ Exactly how many Covid-19 spikes and resulting deaths will the PM have on his conscience before he sacks Dominic Cummings whose breach of lockdown rules encouraged others to do the same? Isn’t Johnson at all embarrassed to offer him such toadying support? Edward Lyon, Sandown

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