Sir, – It would appear that New York has become the coronavirus capital of the world.
I have every sympathy for the New Yorkers being stuck with a president who has demonstrated no sense at all since the crisis began.
However it would appear that there are still regular flights from New York to the UK.
This is a clear decision to import loads more virus into Britain in spite of the inevitable cost of British lives.
K Heath.
Cortachy,
Kirriemuir.
Healthcare workers have a right to answers
Sir, – Western nations have had government for hundreds of years, funded by their populations.
During this time these governments have seen fit to spend untold billions on sending millions of men to kill complete strangers and on developing weapons of mass destruction.
In the meantime, like a voice crying in the wilderness, the scientific community has been warning from the sidelines that the biggest threat to humanity is not foreign invasions or nuclear war but the humble virus.
And so it has come to pass, despite governments having the resources and expertise to model all possible scenarios of disasters and create strategies for preventative and direct action ready to be enacted at the first sign of threats such as a pandemic.
Is this perhaps because such sensible precautions do not allow politicians to strut on the world stage so grandly as they do with their armies and weapons?
And even now as the deadly crisis is upon us, politicians are still making up their reactions on the hoof.
The prime minister announced three weeks ago that he would be writing to every household in the land, at a cost of millions, advising them of travel restrictions they already know about.
Not to be outdone, Nicola Sturgeon announced the same.
Apparently, it’s going to be done this week.
I haven’t received my letter. Have you?
This has been followed by the fatuous “commitment” by the government to be testing 100, 000 people a day for the coronavirus within three weeks.
In the meantime, frontline workers in our hospitals are dying because of lack of protective equipment.
When all this is over, the survivors, particularly those who have lost loved ones, will deserve an accounting from the politicians who, through their failure to act swiftly and lack of contingency planning when the resources were available, brought this catastrophe upon us.
I trust they will be given one.
George Dobbie.
51 Airlie Street,
Alyth.
Parking would be a free for all
Sir, – I would like to respond to John Phimister’s letter, (Axe all hospital parking charges, Courier, April 2). I have had several letters published over the past six years or so in The Courier on this subject.
It really is a travesty for several reasons.
Dundee – Scotland’s fourth city – is devoid of even a single park and ride facility while Perth has two.
I consider this to be a poor reflection on Dundee City Council, even more so than the white elephant opposite the front of the railway station.
Not wishing to question Mr Phimister’s knowledge of the parking and bus station facilities at Ninewells Hospital and the fact that nobody really wishes to pay the full parking fee.
But, if this was free, how would anyone, especially the disabled, be able to park within the hospital campus?
It would become the Dundee park and ride, taken up by the city brigade heading into work for 9am.
In order to ensure this didn’t become the case, many questions need to be asked and solutions found in order to allow bona fide free of charge hospital parking.
I fear this will never be resolved in my lifetime.
Geoff Bray.
Heather Croft,
Letham.
Sing from same hymn sheet
Sir, – A letter published in The Courier on April, 3 quoted the World Health Organization as saying testing is the main priority in the Covid-19 fight, yet the same issue quotes Dr Catherine Calderwood speaking from St Andrew’s House as saying that the notion testing would slow down the spread of the virus was a fallacy.
Social distancing she said, was the key to winning the battle.
It strikes me that Dr Calderwood and the UK Government are both singing from the same hymn sheet.
D. Adams.
Kirklands Park,
Cupar.
Help for workers most in need
Sir, – How can football clubs request financial help with such highly paid footballers, when young people, like my granddaughter, who has paid income tax all her eight working years, and became self employed six months ago, gets nothing because she hasn’t self assessed her first year of self employment yet.
Annette Hope.
17 Fraser Terrace,
Perth.
A ‘right puckle’ without them
Sir, – As the list of those people who are still working during this Covid-19 lockdown continues to grow, may I add my praise for the shop assistants and refuse collectors.
Without them and many others, as Oor Wullie would say, “We wid be in a richt puckle.”
Rev Colin Dempster.
35 Margaret Lindsay Place, Monifieth.
