The Government should pay young people to have their Covid jabs
sir – A large chunk of the third of young people who haven’t been vaccinated are just plain idle.
Almost every person in their 20s I know has happily had the vaccine (myself included), but I’m aware of one who said she simply “couldn’t be bothered”, and that she’s “bored” by the mere mention of vaccines. She’s not, however, scared of the vaccine. She’s not a conspiracy theorist.
I certainly have negative views of this selfish cohort, but these views, however valid, need to be cast aside, if only temporarily. The Government should pay these people to be jabbed. Nothing totally outlandish, but enough to drag them to the vaccine centre: £20, £30 or £40, perhaps. It’s clearly more of an imperative to get everyone vaccinated than it is to save money. Sebastian Monblat
Sutton, Surrey
sir – In Scotland working from home is still encouraged, there is no end in sight for wearing masks, and restrictions on education, particularly on universities, show that only a half-hearted attempt is being made to even pretend to return to normal.
I am working in London, where cases are falling and masks are not needed (except on the Tube). People have referred to this period as a “summer of love”, but in reality it feels like a summer of normality. Who knew normality could be so refreshing? The streets are buzzing, people are laughing, and we are all getting on with our lives.
I am dreading returning to the University of St Andrews next month for my third year, where lectures will be online, giving me only a few hours of in-person teaching. In these classes, for which I pay £9,250 a year (excluding accommodation and living costs), I will no doubt be miles away from my tutor and peers, and be masked. We will go through laborious cycles of tests and, if the virus spreads, giving us all runny noses, isolation.
On the bright side, even though we might not be able to go mask-free in the library, at least we endangered students will be able to squeeze into a tiny flat somewhere and party to our hearts’ content. Olivia Groom
Towcester, Northamptonshire
sir – Two friends have recently arrived in Britain from countries on the red list. Neither went to a government quarantine facility, but rather selfisolated quite safely in friends’ homes.
Why were they not directed to one of the unbelievably expensive quarantine hotels? Perhaps the answer is that one works for a well-known international agency, the other for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
My son is planning to volunteer on a three-month project in sub-saharan Africa. Can I be assured that he will receive such favourable treatment? Or will he be expected to pay over £2,000 on his return, almost doubling the sum he needs to raise to go in the first place? Vanessa Bentley
Worthing, West Sussex