Too many are ignoring the distancing guidelines

AS A funeral director in Cardiff, I am astonished at some of the lack of social distancing and poor protective measures I am seeing.

The number of people (including police) I am seeing travelling together in the front of a vehicle or van on the road is incredible, not even bothering to have their windows open. Do these people not realise they are putting themselves and the rest of us at risk? Why are bus drivers not being issued with protective masks?

This virus is killing people, it will kill many more unless we do as suggested and do it now.

As a provider of funerals for the past 100 years in Cardiff we have always strived to provide services as requested by the bereaved; today it is a totally different scenario, we are very sadly having to restrict what we can provide and make that clear from the outset of arrangements.

We can no longer have visitors to the funeral home. We can no longer provide the opportunity to the bereaved to visit their relative at the funeral home. We cannot offer limousine transport. We cannot provide any coffin that is not able to be sealed, so no wicker, cardboard, banana leaf, wool, reed or other non-solid material coffin. We have to tell the bereaved they have a maximum number of people at the crematorium or graveside service (10 in Cardiff and the Vale, five in Newport cemeteries). We cannot take a deceased to the family home.

If you are not prepared to follow this sensible advice to keep us all safe, please feel free to use another business that may not have your welfare and safety at heart.

The Catholic and Church In Wales clergy are under instruction from their ruling authority that they must adhere to these restrictive number rules.

All these are sensible measures to try to protect the public from further risk of infection, but still some people feel they can be made a special case; they believe it is OK to gather in as large a number as they want; they think they can travel where and when they like, with as many people as there are seats available; they choose to ignore the social distancing rules.

Please get real, no one wants to restrict freedom of choice, but all these measures are in place to save lives. Stop ignoring what is blindingly obvious. Look at the misery in Italy, Spain, France and the USA. The only way to stop this virus is to starve it of more victims, and the only way to do that is to restrict the chance it has to spread. The only way that can be achieved is to stop gathering and do as the vast majority of people are already doing following the rules. Save yourself, your family, your friends and strangers you do not even know from having to cope with this virus.

Save yourselves from being a number on the ever-growing list, follow the rules and take sensible advice and guidance. Protect everyone, not just the struggling NHS. John Pidgeon

Victoria Park,

Cardiff

The only way to stop this virus is to starve it of more victims...