For our leaders and VIPs it’s a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’ during the coronavirus crisis

The British Covid-19 mortality curve is presently two weeks behind that in Italy. So, of course, the people of Britain are happy to forgo all sorts of totally safe activity (such as walking on the moors or beaches) in order to help ensure that other less thoughtful individuals do not pass on the virus by inappropriate “closeness” in such circumstances.

We are all sad to hear that our prime minister has become infected and hope that he is soon restored to health. But what are we to think when our country’s leaders go down with the virus having been seen on TV grossly flouting the two metre rule – and where our prime minister has boasted about shaking hands in recent weeks?

The one thing that can be guaranteed to keep those few people breaking the rules continuing to behave in ways that endanger lives is to have the excuse of rulers who say: “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Tony Dawson
Southport

Unsung heroes

I wonder why Boris Johnson didn’t mention food shop workers in his thanks to those who are serving the nation. This important group of workers seems to have been generally overlooked. Shop staff are putting themselves at risk of infection in order to supply us with food and other essentials, each dealing with hundreds of members of the public every day.

They also ensure the elderly and vulnerable have priority, supervise safe distances in queues for our protection, disinfect the equipment we use, and they are generally pretty cheerful and pleasant while they look after our needs, despite the strain they are under.

I think these workers really deserve our respect and thanks. When the immunity tests become more widely available, I would very much hope that food shop staff will be prioritised along with other key workers. This will enable safer deployment, such as putting immune staff in the high contact positions such as checkouts, which will be safer for the staff as well as for the customers, and will help to slow the spread of this virus.

Mary Stonefield
Lllandrindod Wells, Powys

Self-employed woes

The government rightly offers to pay 80 per cent of employed workers’ salaries while they are furloughed, to a maximum of £2,500 per month. For the self-employed, the government offers to pay a maximum of £2,500 per month but not only has an eligibility cap been placed on maximum earnings but the cap has been set at a relatively low £50,000 per annum. Those earning more than this figure do not necessarily have sufficient assets to cover their business and personal costs indefinitely, especially if there is no income to replace it.

As a consequence of the restrictions, I will receive no assistance from the government at this difficult time and I suspect this will be true for many, many others too, for this and other reasons.

Despite their repeated pronouncements about social distancing and only going out for essential matters, I am forced to work in order to maintain any income, although there is little for me to do and there will soon be nothing at all; I must pay the fixed costs of the business, even if I am not able to generate income.

Even when regulations are relaxed, they are likely to be reimposed periodically to ensure that there isn’t a surge of infections that might overwhelm the NHS. It is probable that my business will not be back to normal levels of work for at least a year and I will therefore have a significantly reduced income for a significant period of time.

I am far from sure that my business, a small, previously successful and well respected surveying company, has a future at all. Our small reserves have been exhausted both by indifferent trading in 2019 as a result of Brexit uncertainty, and also by the usual slowdown over Christmas into 2020. If we fail, it will not only be the partners out of work but also the salaried staff. I do not see how this will be good for any of us.

Nigel Boulton
Norwich

Tests for NHS first

How does Rishi Sunak’s straight-faced claim that “we are all in this together” chime with the fact that Prince Charles, the PM, Matt Hancock and CMO Chris Whitty have already been tested, while it has taken until today for the decision that “Coronavirus tests for NHS frontline staff will be trialled this weekend” to be announced? Doubtless many more deserving VIPs will have had the benefit of the test with negative results. We shall see if this announcement translates into action, and how “quickly”.

Surely NHS frontline staff should have been tested since the beginning in January, or is it that we have so many NHS staff to spare we can write lots of them off? Clearly in our brave new society some are more equal than others.

Eddie Dougall
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk

I wonder why our religious leaders are so quiet since the coronavirus outbreak. Is it not their responsibility to lead their faithful out of this pandemic? Or is the pandemic making them question their faith?

Kartar Uppal
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

A couple of suggestions as the Help The Hungry campaign gets under way. We donate from our trolley every time we shop. If we all did this it would replenish the food banks’ decimated supplies.

The supermarkets have removed their buy one get one free offers during the Covid-19 crisis. Due to food shortages no doubt but, let’s face it, it won’t do their profits any harm. Everyone should get their share of food supplies though, so why don’t they bring back a variation on ‘bogof’ offers – every time an essential item is bought by the great British public, they donate one to a food bank.

Paul Morrison
Glasgow