Live with it, don’t let it rule over you

IWISH someone would admit to not really knowing how we can control the spread of Covid 19. Some are arguing for another national lockdown, or at least what they call a circuit breaker – the latest new phrase that the crisis has given us. But did the previous lockdown do any good?

I mean cases are rising once more, while it is argued that measures such as social distancing were the real cause of getting the death rate from coronavirus down earlier in the year. What’s more, who can guarantee that after a 2/3 week break that restrictions would be lifted? I mean the initial lockdown was supposed to last for weeks, but ended up going on for months. And it would remain a real possibility that cases would simply start rising again once the economy reopened. Not that it is a case of the economy versus people’s lives as some have erroneously claimed. For the livelihoods of countless millions are put at risk when shops or leisure facilities are made to close. Unemployment affects the mental health of those affected, and the worry of potentially losing your job is also extremely damaging to your well-being. To this I would add that we need a thriving economy to pay for the cost of the NHS and other invaluable social services.

But if men and women became jobless then the tax base is severely impacted. So while few would weep for billionaire owners like Tim Martin, we do care about those facing redundancy if pubs and restaurants are forced to close. Meanwhile, it has been shown that the lockdown helped to cause other deaths as the stay at home advice stopped many from seeking medical treatment. More under 65s died of strokes and heart attacks, with many missing vital cancer appointments.

With no sign of a vaccine in sight, we must sadly learn to live with the virus not let it rule us. Alas, many of our politicians continue to think otherwise while the freedom-loving country we know and love is vanishing before our eyes. Tim Mickleburgh, Boulevard Avenue,

Grimsby.