Simple message for us all: stay at home
THE weather forecast for this weekend is good, but in the coronavirus crisis that brings its own problems.
There have already been signs people are not adhering to the advice on staying at home, with too many putting their own generous interpretation on what is expected of them.
After the farcical situation of two weeks ago, when there were traffic jams on the roads to Snowdon and Pen y Fan, and crowds on seaside promenades at Barry Island and Porthcawl, the authorities’ stated disapproval seemed to get the message home. The country was put on strict lockdown and last weekend there was no significant recurrence. But as this week has progressed, the level of traffic has increased, for no apparent good reason.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has said people should not be driving to places of exercise. Prime Minister Boris Johnson recognised that “everybody may be getting a bit stir crazy” but also urged the public to stick with social distancing. Nursing leader Ruth May went further and urged people tempted to go outside not to in memory of two NHS nurses – Areema Nasreen and Aimee O’Rourke – who have died after contracting coronavirus.
Their tragedy brings the risks that NHS hospital workers are running each day as this crisis continues indefinitely painfully into sharp focus. As front line staff are also confronted by the issues surrounding the lack of testing and shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), the pressure being heaped on them is phenomenal and should not be exacerbated for any unnecessary reason.
As ward sister Donna Armstrong says with heartrending emotion in today’s Weekend magazine: “I’m scared for my health and my life, I just don’t want to leave my son without a mummy. But I took the oath to protect and care for patients and it is what I love to do. I just want to come out the other side with everyone I love.
“To the nation I would like to say thanks for the support and stay in – don’t put people at risk who are trying to help. It just feels like we are standing at the beach waiting for a tsunami of ill patients to hit us... all the frontline workers in a line holding hands waiting for it to hit, holding as tight as we can so no-one gets swept away.”
The situation could not be more serious. People are dying in our communities and temporary mortuaries are to be established to accommodate their bodies.
Stay at home.