The Government’s illogical tiers of stop-go restrictions disillusion voters

sir – The new Covid-19 tier assessment by Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, really just underlines what the public has known since the spring – namely, that most of what he announces is the result of illogical reasoning.

Why establish new tiers for four days, then release them for five days, only to reimpose them thereafter? If the Government can trust the public to be careful for five days over Christmas, why not the preceding four?

A somewhat confused and disillusioned electorate would have far better understood the imposition of new tier levels from December 28. Kim Potter

Lambourn, Berkshire

sir – Government rules for Christmas are realistically based on the “lesser of two evils” principle. It knows that trying to stop families gathering would fail and would criminalise millions.

Therefore it is provides guidelines that will minimise the threat. Andrew Wildblood

Crantock, Cornwall sir – I am aware that it is not a competition, but many television commentators and even some MPS keep telling us how badly the United Kingdom has fared in the pandemic and that we are the “worst” in Europe.

Using current data, in gross terms Italy now has higher total deaths from Covid, Belgium has for some time had the highest rate per capita, while Germany, held up as a great example, has experienced some of the highest daily death rates.

I suggest that when this is all over, figures across Europe will be remarkably similar and it will be fairly obvious that figures are more dependent on genetic distributions, levels of poverty and obesity, plus willingness to follow instructions, rather than on action by governments and leaders (male or female).

Fortunately, we now have vaccines that will help to curb the figures worldwide, and we should all support our governments wherever possible. Lawrence Palmer

Edinburgh sir – I travelled on a busy c2c rail service of about 45 minutes. Posters stated that passengers not wearing a face covering could be fined £6,400.

Despite this threat, throughout the journey several unmasked passengers ate takeaway food, presumably purchased at stations.

Vanessa Holt

Leigh-on-sea, Essex

sir – I came out of my office yesterday to find six school-age children (four without masks) hugging each other.

Does our highly efficient hospitality industry really have to suffer?

Keith G Pittis

Chislehurst, Kent

sir – Professor Chris Whitty advised us to use common sense regarding Christmas celebrations. Well done him for letting us take responsibility, but, as for common sense, in words attributed to Mark Twain: “There’s not enough of it about to be common.” Barbara Dennis

King’s Lynn, Norfolk