A lockdown is no good if it makes life unbearable

My wife and I are both over 70, and it is possible that when the restrictions are lifted, the over-70s will be kept under ‘house arrest’ indefinitely, prevented from returning to the lives we knew.

Have these younger politicians and others any idea of the effect this will have for us to be unable to have family gatherings and see our great-granddaughter?

My wife and her keep-fit friends will no longer be able to exercise. There will be no more fishing or golf, or going to our favourite garden centre. No more living a life of fulfilment for older people, whatever their lifestyle, just existing. What will be the point?

Terence Woodings, Blackpool

Alan Titchmarsh made such a reasoned, poetic argument for garden centres to be reopened in his article last week. By staying closed, garden centres will have less income to pay back any Government support money.

M. Fitch, Attleborough, Norfolk

It’s premature for Keir Starmer to demand an exit strategy, which can be only hypothetical for now. There are far more pressing and vital issues, in both the Labour Party and the NHS.

Terry Johnson, Wirral

Peter Hitchens argues that the Government policy of lockdown has not been successful. He goes on to point out that the expected mass death toll has not arrived. The logical conclusion, therefore, is that the Government policy has been successful.

Tony Agar, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire

The Opposition and Left-wing media are not interested in an exit strategy – they just want something to beat Boris Johnson with.

Brian Christley, Abergele, North Wales

Various commentators, especially from the US, suggest that as we move into summer, the higher temperatures will help eradicate Covid-19. Given the experiences in France, Spain and Italy – and more recently, Singapore – I fear these expectations are misguided, as high temperatures are evident in all of these hard-hit countries.

Andrew Kerr, Stirling

The Government is thinking of reopening schools, perhaps as a way to kick-start the economy.

But many parents rely on help with school runs from grandparents, who are at high risk of catching the virus. And has anyone considered how social distancing could be maintained?

Classrooms are small, corridors narrow and inspecting work would mean teachers getting too close to their charges. I hope the Government will reconsider.

Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs, Dunbartonshire

Scottish universities are facing a massive shortfall in income thanks to coronavirus affecting attendance of fee-paying students.

Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead pledged that ‘the Scottish Government is ready to stand by universities’. This means the Treasury is being asked to provide large sums of money.

There is a sad irony in this, in that students from the rest of the UK pay fees at Scotland’s universities, while Scottish and EU students do not. So tax-paying parents south of the Border are being asked to pay again to bail out these institutions.

This crisis has shown Scotland needs the support of the UK.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Even during this pandemic, Scots have blessings to count. Being part of the UK means we benefit from sharing resources. The £2 billion package to help businesses would not have been available had we chosen wrongly in 2014.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Since the BBC is showing so many repeats now, can it put on the 2013 Wimbledon final when Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic?

Brenda Rourke, Giffnock, Renfrewshire