The problem isn’t Covid, we’ve fed our NHS on scraps
■ I would like to thank the people who have repeatedly voted in governments determined to destroy the NHS.
We are going into a second lockdown not because Covid-19 is ravaging the country but because, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson freely admits, the NHS could not cope with anticipated admissions following no lockdown.
At the last three elections, a properly funded NHS was on the table but the great British public said no.
So please stop your whingeing – we have got the government we deserve.
George Curley, London
■ As a retired nurse I feel so strongly that home-testing Covid kits are a waste of time and will be inaccurate. The technique is so intrusive, people will automatically recoil and not perform it properly – hence inaccurate reporting. They need to be done by someone medically trained.
Kathleen Field, Birmingham
■ Monday morning and the notification from my NHS contact tracing app tells me to isolate for nine days. No reason, no phone call, no text, no email – just the app flashing ‘nine days’ at me.
Looking at my Google timeline (in case my memory failed), I rang any venue I had been to over the past week. That included supermarkets and a couple of restaurants. I then contacted people
I had seen within the 2m guideline but no, not one place or person had had any contact from them. I’m left with the mystery of who, where and why.
It would also seem that the only place you can’t contact is contact tracing itself – it’s just a recorded message. I’m now stuck inside without an explanation.
Karen, Buckinghamshire
■ No, Muriel, Covid isn’t a flu virus (MetroTalk, Tue). Flus are caused by influenza viruses. Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) is caused by a coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (very different to influenza).
Please don’t tell everyone it’s just a flu. It’s misleading and will cause further confusion.
Aidan, Dartford
■ I have two friends of pension age who live alone, with no close friends or family nearby. Their social life – and to a certain extent mental health – depends on visiting the pub for an hour or two several times a week. They have already suffered in the previous lockdown and are dreading the next.
Instead of this indiscriminate lockdown, would it not have been possible for certain pubs to stay open on the following conditions?
The premises are suitable in terms of ventilation, ability to space tables, table service, one-way movement etc.
They can demonstrate that they have a robust and documented system in place to ensure they can operate as safely as possible and that their staff are trained to work it.
They understand that they will be regularly inspected and will be closed immediately if there is any noncompliance.
Surely this is as safe as allowing schools and universities to open and would at least mitigate to a small degree the damage to the economy and people’s mental health.
Pubs are not always a luxury.
Peter Reynolds, Birmingham
■ I’m with Michael Simpson (MetroTalk, Mon) about places of education being hotbeds for Covid. What’s the point of lockdown when kids and teachers are allowed to bring home the virus? It doesn’t strain the memory to remember what happened when the teens went to university recently. Why lock the door and then leave the windows open? Sylvie Orp, Bromley