A terrible price to pay for ‘freedom’
WHEN only 54% of the population have been fully vaccinated, was it really sensible to throw caution to the wind and have “Freedom Day’’ when Covid rates are soaring?
A lot of publicity is given to the number of adults who have been vaccinated but, although young people are more resilient, they can still catch Covid and pass it on.
Boris Johnson wants people to have vaccination passports to get into night clubs in September which seems to me to be an acknowledgement they are hotspots for transmission because of being crowded, indoors, with close, prolonged contact without protection, people talking/shouting because of the noise and less inhibited behaviour because of alcohol consumption. So why allow a free-for-all now?
1,200 scientists have warned that Boris Johnson’s lifting of virtually all of England’s pandemic restrictions is a threat to the world and provides fertile ground for the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants.
Britain’s position as a global transport hub would mean any new variant here would rapidly spread around the world.
HOME ALONE? KEEP THEM SAFE
AS THE summer holidays arrive, it’s inevitable that parental commitments, work or other appointments, could mean we will need to leave our children at home at some point.
Our NSPCC Helpline practitioners are often asked ‘what is the appropriate age to allow children to stay home alone or go out unsupervised?’, and while there’s no ‘one size fits all’ answer, we can offer tips and advice to help you make the best decision for your family.
There’s no legal age a child can be left home alone because every child matures differently, but it is against the law to leave a child alone if it puts them at risk. You must also remember that a child who doesn’t feel comfortable should not be left alone.
This summer, we’ve teamed up with Blakemore Retail – which runs 269 Spar stores in England and Wales – for the Home Or Out Alone campaign, which aims to help reassure
A SUMMER OF KINDNESS
I’D LIKE to make your readers aware of a unique opportunity to make a big difference to the lives of hungry children in the world’s poorest countries this summer.
For anyone who becomes a monthly giver to global school feeding charity Mary’s Meals before the end of August, their first three donations will be tripled, meaning the impact of their regular gifts will go even further.
This is thanks to a group of generous supporters who are making funds available up to £100,000 for tripling donations from new regular givers for a limited period.
Your readers can help Mary’s Meals to access all the available funds by setting up a
A senior World Health Organisation official, Mike Ryan, has warned that the idea of letting people get infected with Covid-19 earlier rather than later was ‘epidemiological stupidity’ but it is being said that “herd immunity is the UK Government’s current strategy in England though no-one in Downing Street, the Department of Health or Cabinet would use those words.”
How on Earth can herd immunity be achieved? It’s a flu-like virus that mutates. People who have been vaccinated can still get it. That’s why we haven’t achieved herd immunity for flu.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, which has more than 1,100 beds, has had to stop dozens of elective operations, including liver transplants, because of increasing numbers of coronavirus patients as well as wider demand.
How many more completely avoidable deaths are there going to be before people realise the incompetence and heartlessness of this PM? How is our beleaguered
NHS going to cope?
What a terrible price to have to pay for “Freedom”.
Sue Quinlan
via email
parents and carers considering this topic.
The full guide is available at www.nspcc.org. uk/safe-alone, and includes things to think about such as signs that suggest whether your child is ready to be independent or not, whether they’re old enough to deal with the potential risks of being alone and how they feel about being left unsupervised.
There are checklists on how to help keep children safe when others aren’t around, like ensuring they have a phone number for a parent or carer when they’re home alone, and advice on leaving children under the supervision of another trusted adult.
As well as the information online, our Helpline practitioners are available on 0808 8005000. We can’t make the decision for you, but we can offer you support and advice to help you make the right decision to help keep your child as safe as possible this summer.
Lauren French NSPCC Helpline Practice Manager
monthly direct debit by August 31 at marysmeals.org.uk/tripled.
Mary’s Meals feeds more than 1.8 million hungry children in 19 countries every school day.
This funding boost will bring fresh hope to families struggling amidst the continuing challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has hit the world’s poorest countries especially hard, and will also help Mary’s Meals in its goal to reach two million children with a nutritious meal every school day.
I am proud to support Mary’s Meals and hope that this summer your readers can take advantage of this incredible opportunity to see their kindness go three times as far.
Mark Beaumont Long-distance cyclist, broadcaster, author