This new graveside ban is complete madness
ON Thursday I went to Thornhill Crematorium to change the flowers on my wife’s grave, as I have done for the past two years since she passed away.
Imagine my horror when confronted by two men on the gate telling me I wasn’t allowed to tend my wife’s grave. I was all alone, as I am always.
The Government’s instuctions are to keep people apart, but it was only me. This is complete madness, and very hurtful and upsetting. Godfrey Hooper Thornhill, Cardiff
A miracle to put a smile on our face
VIEWED my grandson today, albeit via the app.
Visits and walks are restricted now, corona put paid to that.
Miss his little face, his cuddles and his smiles. We only live round the corner but it seems like miles.
The things we take for granted, the ones we hold so dear, he won’t understand yet, ’cause he’s still under a year.
Our new granddaughter arrived today, full of happiness and charm, it’s only a matter of time before we hold her in our arms.
It takes a miracle like this to put a smile on our face, the gift of life is precious, so behold, love and embrace.
James Thompson Thornhill, Cardiff
Show us local virus figures
I would like to know why the UK is only getting numbers on how many have died, how many new cases have been reported and why the information is not broken down to show smaller areas of where these cases are, eg Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Newport, etc. Counties are not specific enough.
Why are we not being given some good news as well? For example, Belgium, a country with around a third of our case numbers at 11,000 and deaths of around 1,100 has also reported 1,300 recovered. Why is the UK lagging behind with the recovered figures? Please give us an accurate number, so that we can have a little hope.
Our governments (Wales and UK) want us all to obey their ever increasing draconian measures, so give us the information directly every day, don’t make us search for it. Information in these trying times is king; rumour and disinformation is dangerous.
Treat us like adults.
If we are told that 10 people in Creigiau, St Fagans, Fairwater, Grangetown, Ely, Llandaff or Cosmeston, for example, have Covid-19, then we might realise just how locally it exists (and I am not suggesting any of those places do) and take the threat more seriously.
Unless you have known someone affected by this, you may not see the reason behind the stay at home request. But you should take the threat seriously and help stop the spread by reducing the capacity of the virus to spread and stay in unless absolutely necessary.
John Pidgeon
Victoria Park, Cardiff
Look ahead on recycling
IF there are not presently workers in a plastic factory, supplying the raw material for another factory making two-litre plastic milk containers, then there will be no distribution of milk in two months’ time.
The farmers will have to pour the milk down the drain.
We could start now, returning empty plastic containers to the supermarket to be re-used, as once we did with bottles, but there is no present system by which they could be sterilised. Are we looking ahead?
Neville Westerman Brynna
Stick with your local shops
I READ Arwel P Williams’ letter (“Learn these lessons and support local businesses”, Echo, April 3) regarding using local shops.
Living in Porth, Rhondda, I use the fruit and veg shop, butcher’s and small convenience store in Hannah Street as often as possible. I have done this even before the current difficulties.
Each of these shops seem to have increased their trade in recent weeks as customers choose not to go into the supermarkets, which I am very pleased about.
What I hope is that the new customers will remember these small businesses when things return to “normal” and continue to use the shops which ensured they had the essentials and delivered to their homes when they could not get out.
Stick with your local shops, we will all benefit in the long run.
Jeff Matthews
Porth, Rhondda
Common sense solutions needed
AS Secretary of the Cardiff Deaf Support Group we are aware of the unusual problems posed for deaf people by coronavirus.
Some deaf NHS patients have been confronted with medical staff who wear face masks for protection. This results in the patients not being able to lip-read what is being said to them. In some instances the medical staff have refused to remove their face masks on safety grounds, leaving the deaf patients totally unaware of the results of the medical session.
There is no easy solution this problem, but health boards need to be aware of this difficulty for deaf patients and offer common sense solutions.
Cedric Moon
Cardiff and District Deaf People’s Support Group
I was all alone, as I am always Godfrey Hooper Thornhill, Cardiff
Can leader find my ‘fourth way’?
THE election of Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party has the benefit that the centre-left of the party will feel they have someone to represent them.
But the risk will be that those on the left of the party who joined because of Jeremy Corbyn might want to leave, causing the splits seen under Neil Kinnock and Tony Blair.
A colleague and I have proposed a voting system called Delegated Transferable Vote, which would in theory allow left-wing parties with the least votes to give them to the left-wing party with the most votes.