A world out there that must be lived

■ In response to Bob from Surrey, who stated that lockdown has helped him get up to speed with technology and stay indoors (MetroTalk, Fri).

Surely, Bob, there is more to your life than being stuck indoors, ordering food online, texting, buying new smartphones, using FaceTime and online banking.

Isn’t this exactly what the ‘new agenda’ is all about? Us all stuck indoors, not speaking to each other personally, not discussing things, helping our high streets to become ghost towns as everyone is using online shopping, adding to the massive rise in unemployment, loneliness for the elderly and others, no libraries open where you can discover a world of knowledge, other than on the computer.

You say that it saddens you that you will be soon be given the vaccine because you would rather give it to your grandson and his wife because they need it to go outdoors and work while you can stay home. We have a beautiful world out there, full of viruses that prime our immune systems and make us adapt to environmental change. That’s how Man has survived so far.

Do go out and enjoy what is out there in the real world! Sunshine, rain, snow, trees, landscapes, countryside, cityscapes and people!

Oh, and lots of bacteria and viruses, which won’t harm you – and may well help you live longer.

Peter, London

■ RF says the vaccine is not going to be the ‘route back into normal for the foreseeable future’ (MetroTalk, Fri). I reckon they’re right and wouldn’t be surprised if we have to wear masks for years and it becomes just ‘what we do’, like with some Asian tourists.

Wendy, London

■ To the woman on the No.13 bus to Haverhill from Cambridge who had her mask round her chin. Put your brain in gear and get off your phone next time. Bus drivers have a hard enough job without having to educate you that just because there’s a vaccine it’s all over – it isn’t!