Nation divided in its virus response

HERE’S what could have been done differently, says Dr Ian Hughes (Echo letters, March 26), while Will Hayward’s report highlights the pandemic “mistakes” (Echo, March 22).

Both failed to mention we live in the United Kingdom, a United Kingdom whose central government failed miserably when the virus struck. Instead of uniting the nation at the onset, the PM allowed the regions to act independently, akin to headless chickens. And so, it has continued throughout the pandemic. What we needed was a national government in control, that introduced cohesion, to emphatically say the rule for one would be the rule for all. What they did do was to introduce utter confusion.

We all have 20/20 vision at times like these. However, what we are entitled to expect from our government is it acts in unison with the whole population. That is, dump devolved powers, and take complete control of the realm. The result of its actions since January 2020 has resulted in discord, and the virus has all but defeated us. And so, it continues as unseen advisers guide a complicit government cabinet towards the ultimate economic disaster. A disaster that will only be avoided when the right person takes control of national government, and unites, rather than divides a bewildered nation.

Dr Hughes says the delay of the lockdown likely caused many deaths; on the contrary, it was the intransigence by health officers, from the beginning, that masks were ineffective. It is a proven fact that countries that wore masks from the onset experienced complete success.

The doctor says much of the criticism has been directed at Mark Drakeford; well it should be because he, along with the other devolved leaders, should have recognised from the onset that this was a national emergency, desperately in need of a unified national response.

You should not need reminding of the UK’s horrendous figures; however, because they are so catastrophic, I will reiterate them as we compare our current death toll of 126,000 deaths with Taiwan and Vietnam. Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, suffered 10 deaths and no lockdowns; and Vietnam, population 95 million, had 35 deaths, and no national lockdowns.

Those countries’ low death totals, 15 months into the pandemic, show what successes can be achieved when governments work in unison with their people.

Now as I write, the streets of the UK are filled with people not wearing masks. Surely it would have been prudent to carry on wearing masks, until we were sure the pandemic was beaten. However, now only time will tell the true story, and if they are wrong, then more than a few heads must go on the block.

Therefore, despite our leaders seeking applause and back-slapping, the UK’s figures confirm we have near lost the war with this virus. Why? Because throughout this pandemic, we have been deliberately misled and divided. George Chelmis Cardiff