Who is going to bring food shopping to the doorsteps of aged widows and widowers?
SIR – Thousands of people are going into self-quarantine, staying at home and avoiding contact with others for 14 days. Two difficulties need to be addressed.
The first is that NHS 111 does not inform the community (GP or council services), so there is no local record of who is self-quarantining. The second is the support for such people for those 14 days, particularly with food. This is not the responsibility of already overburdened GPS, but whose is it?
In many cases neighbours and relations will help by delivering to the doorstep. But what of those with no such help, such as elderly widows and widowers?
David Miller
Newton Abbot, Devon
SIR – I urge people to bear in mind the effect that the coronavirus scare is having on the tourism industry.
For our self-catering cottage we have received cancellations from British guests who have decided not to travel. This is not my main source of income, but I am concerned about the knock-on effects.
Today, I have laid off our gardener, my cleaner (a single mum and self employed) and the decorator.
Louise Broughton
Bowness-on-windermere, Lancashire
SIR – The Government needs to give families who are self-isolating a financial boost by instructing mortgage companies, councils and other financial institutions to give them a break in repaying loans and other such payments.
Many families will suffer hardship if they have to stay away from work for two weeks or more. Many will, out of necessity, attend their work place when they should be staying at home.
That must be foreseen and avoided.
Paul Caruana
Truro, Cornwall
SIR – This week was the second anniversary of the chemical weapons attack in Salisbury, which demonstrated the brilliance of our emergency services, NHS and military. There was enough agent to kill thousands of people, but having large numbers of service men and women available, equipped and confident at working in a contaminated environment, prevented large loss of life.
If the current coronavirus outbreak deepens, key lessons learnt from Salisbury about decontamination, tracking people, the passage of information and the use of the military, will probably mitigate the worst effects of this pathogen.
During the Salisbury attack, government information was poor initially, but during this virus outbreak it has been exceptional, simple, to the point and without drama.
Once again, how fortunate we are in the United Kingdom to have the finest military on the globe, always ready to protect the country from every adversary, human, chemical or biological.
Col Hamish de Bretton-gordon (retd) Tisbury, Wiltshire
SIR – Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light has just arrived. As it is 912 pages, a recommendation to selfisolate could not be more welcome.
Fiona Horton
Northallerton, North Yorkshire
SIR – I hope banks will clean external cash machines thoroughly. Tests last year showed that ATMS and Underground station handrails were a major source of potential infection.
Peter Lewis
Steeple Claydon, Buckinghamshire
SIR – My late mother’s family hated kissing. The usual cheery greeting was “CYK” – Consider Yourself Kissed.
David Coates
Bramshaw, Hampshire
SIR – The Government tells us to wash our hands frequently but Cambridge Water has asked us to save 15 litres of water a day. Wipes are not environmentally friendly. Any advice?
Cheryl Pusey
Foxton, Cambridgeshire