I yearn for return of proper final farewells

I ATTENDED a funeral recently of a close work friend who had passed away before Christmas. I was lucky to be one of the 30 people inside due to the Covid restrictions.

There were a lot more friends outside paying their respects, so I felt honoured to be one of those allowed inside to say my last goodbye to my friend. During the service my mind wandered to all of the other families and friends doing the same thing today, saying goodbye to someone they love who has succumb to the complications brought on by Covid-19.

How many of the funerals taking place today should not be happening until we start taking the latest lockdown seriously?

After my key-working one evening, I went to one of the large supermarket chains for some food, essential everyday food. I tried to get as much as I could in a quick orderly fashion so I could get in and out with as little contact with others as I could.

During my “zigzagging” through the store I had to walk through some of the non-essential areas like electrical equipment where you can buy the latest sound bar or mobile phone. What struck me was how busy this area was: why were these people even putting themselves at risk for the sake of filling their trolley with the latest stubble trimmer, or games console?

The quicker we start respecting the lockdown rules, there will be more and more of us sat at funerals saying goodbye to our loved ones and friends.

Ian Dalligan, by email