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WE WELCOME LETTERS FROM EVERYONE, ON ALL SUBJECTS...

still looks bleak for those who are self employed or on zero hours contracts.

Now consider those at the coalface. Few of us have any real idea of how stretched our hospitals are.

Already some hospitals have all intensive care beds full.

At one hospital almost half the anaesthetists have a personal underlying immunity problem yet they continue to intubate critically ill patients with coronavirus round the clock, disregarding their own personal safety. These doctors and nurses are exposed to the highest level of risk. They are literally putting their own lives on the line.

However many anaesthetic machines we produce they will not replace the staff who operate them if they fall sick. Finally, just think what it must be like for them to come off shift and find no food in the shops because of irresponsible panic buying. We expect our doctors, nurses and care workers to risk their own lives and their families. We expect our hospitals never to turn away the seriously ill. Coronavirus makes that model untenable unless we are all really serious about not spreading the disease in the first place.

So surely the least we can do is to minimise the risk to others. Please act responsibly and think about those who have to pick up the pieces. You might need them yourself rather sooner than you think.

Let’s finish on an upnote. The dozens of people setting up help networks. The neighbours being not just good neighbours but really looking out for their community. What fantastic people you are!

Nick Eden-green