Forget foreign holidays until we beat Covid

sir – There is an obsession with going on holiday, as if it – rather than the defeat of Covid-19 – were the most important thing in the world.

My perfect holiday would be the defeat of the virus: to be able to go out shopping without a mask, to go to pubs, restaurants and hotels without worry, and travel further than a few miles from home. Once we achieve that within our own borders, then we can obsess about going abroad – so long as wherever we wish to go is as virus-free as at home.

Roland Green

Carrigaline, Co Cork, Ireland

sir – Nick Timothy’s piece (Comment, February 22) shows a lack of understanding of the average human being. Some people have indeed accrued record savings during this pandemic, but many of the businesses where they might have thought to spend their newfound wealth will never open again. Many who have been working from home are keen to return to the office: they miss personal interaction with their colleagues and do not enjoy online meetings. Most people complain bitterly about not being able to see their GP in person and would be horrified to think that they might never do so again.

Students are isolated and depressed, as well as angry at having to pay full fees for a greatly reduced university service. In any case, there is already an online institution called the Open University, whose students pay lower fees. Students rightly complain vociferously when face-to-face tutorials are cut back.

Things may not be the same when we have extricated ourselves from this mess – but to think that the majority of people would be happy to live their lives almost entirely online is a fallacy. Serena Stallard

Eastbourne, East Sussex