Is lockdown easing prematurely?

The most moving, indeed humbling, images to emerge from the coronavirus epidemic have been those of NHS hospital staff and ambulance crews applauding survivors for whom they had risked and given so much, leaving their care to return home.

After all the sacrifices it is difficult to comprehend the actions of those gathering for street parties, assaulting the police, flocking to beaches, leaving behind them a trail of litter, destruction and the risk of bring about a second wave of infection likely to affect others.

While there is an understandable degree of pent-up frustration, brought about in part by a good deal of political dithering, financial, social, national economic and other pressures in the light of spikes of infection being experienced in other countries.

A number of questions need to be addressed: after initially taking too little action too late, is there now the danger of too much easing taking place prematurely? Is public health and safety being sacrficed on the altar of the economy?

Opinions will differ and there may well be no definitive answers, nevertheless, they are questions requiring consideration if even greater devastation and distress is to be avoided.

And to close: the inmates of Shute End Towers appear to have finally lost it completely.

The lunatic changes being made to twon centre road layouts will impose their own particular brand of local lockdown and surely drive yet another nail into the town's coffin.

J WBlaney, Wokingham