Let’s be reasonable amid the coronavirus outbreak

Do I, don’t I, mention the wretched coronavirus malarkey?

Social media tells us we’re all doomed, the government spokespeople say we’re not.

The valetudinarians among us are doing their best to clear supermarket shelves of hand sanitiser, foods to sustain the family through a six-month’s siege and, of all things, bog rolls.

I’m one of the group of people (over 80 and with a lung condition) that they tell us are at greatest risk but, let’s be reasonable - we’re more likely to be killed on the road, whatever age and state of health we are.

Mrs B tells me I’m odd but, now she’s fed-up with hearing me warbling two choruses of Happy Birthday as I wash my hands,

I’m working on building a list of alternative tunes of the same duration.

But enough of that.

The good news is that our own County Square has again been deemed the cleanest and most efficient shopping mall under a million square feet, in a countrywide competition.

During shopping hours, we see the cleaners, Jackie, Lorraine and two chaps, doing a great job picking up rubbish, polishing the lifts and ensuring that the lavatories are kept in good, sanitary condition.

What we don’t see is the work that goes on after the Square closes, when the security guards on night-shift scour the entire centre and perform basic maintenance work to ensure that we can enjoy trouble-free shopping during the day.

The award they won, the Golden Services Award, is given by the world-wide company, KimberlyClark, who visit the site a number of times, poking and prying into every aspect of how the place is run and then hold an event at the London Hilton, where the winners in their various categories are announced.

The lady to whom I spoke,

Stacey, said the award was the equivalent of the Oscars! Congratulations all round.

‘Mrs B’s fed-up with hearing me warbling Happy Birthday twice...’