Dash to ‘freedom’ puts elderly at risk

THE comments reportedly made by Boris Johnson that appear to undervalue the lives of those aged over 80 are, if true, disgraceful and callous.

Any government – and especially any Prime Minister – has a duty of care towards all its citizens, regardless of how old they are.

For anyone to make light of deaths from Covid is shocking.

Balancing public health against the economy has been a constant theme throughout the pandemic.

But, whichever side of the argument you fall on, as a supposedly caring society we simply cannot lose sight of the fact that older people have been among the most vulnerable as the virus has spread.

Unsurprisingly, a high proportion of those who have been hospitalised – as well as those who have died – have been elderly.

But to seek to diminish all the individual tragedies by suggesting – as some online commentators have – that those affected had already lived their allotted span is cruel.

We know that Mr Johnson was originally attracted to the idea of herd immunity – a concept that in itself entailed sacrificing less robust members of the community.

When a full-scale inquiry into the pandemic is eventually launched, such erroneous policymaking will surely be one of the main areas to explore.

It is hardly surprising that many vulnerable and older people are frightened by the implications of the “Freedom Day” Mr Johnson has announced in England.

Introduced against the advice of more than 1,200 doctors, it risks a third wave of the virus that could overwhelm the NHS and lead to more deaths.

While the rollout of vaccines has been exemplary across the UK, there still remain many people who are yet to be doublejabbed.

This risks a big increase in infections that could affect older people who need a booster jab.

At the same time, the extent to which long Covid may take hold is unknown.

Wales is again adopting a more cautious approach, but there will be many visitors from England, as well as some who live here, who will be ignorant of the different requirements.

As we enter a further crucial phase of this crisis, it’s vital that the interests of the most vulnerable are seen as paramount.