Sir, – I watched the prime minister’s press conference with a sense of disbelief and so I want to write to thank the people of Angus and Tayside for adhering to the Covid-19 guidelines and not bending them or flouting them.
I know of grandparents who cannot hug their grandchildren.
I know of families whose loved ones died alone because of the guidelines, and I know of loved ones in care who can’t be visited.
I know of funerals with very few mourners because people have been observing the guidelines.
I have acted as a link for people needing prescriptions and who are following the advice to self-isolate for 12 weeks.
Six of my immediate family are frontline medical staff.
Two are GPs and one is an HDU nurse. They deal with people who bend or flout the guidelines.
In the words of a friend who is a retired GP, tonight’s press conference revealed the moral vacuum at the heart of power in our country.
As I say, thank you and well done to you all.
You are a credit to your communities.
Malcolm Rooney.
23 Mart Lane,
Kirriemuir,
Angus.
Debacle risks a spike in cases
Sir, – How disappointing it is that the prime minister has not sacked his assistant Dominic Cummings for breaking the coronavirus rules.
Only a few weeks ago, by his own admission, Mr Johnson had his life saved by NHS staff. NHS and care home staff are doing the same thing throughout the country, many in fact going one step further and isolating themselves from their families so they can carry out their duties safely.
The general public have, by and large, taken the government advice on board to save the NHS. But it appears the fundamentals of the Stay Safe instructions do not apply to those who make them.
In Scotland we had the case of Catherine Calderwood breaking the rules and initially Nicola Sturgeon endeavouring to protect her.
However, to give the first minister her due, she soon caught the country’s fury at Ms Calderwood’s cavalier actions and dismissed her.
In England Mr Johnson must do the same with Mr Cummings or perhaps he will have an uprising with people breaking the rules and, God forbid, sparking a spike in the infections.
This would be laid plainly in Mr Cummings’ and Mr Johnson’s lap.
We are continually told by the politicians that we are all in this together, but we are obviously not.
Alistair Martin.
3 Godfrey Street,
Dundee.
Cummings is de facto leader
Sir, – No matter what spin the government try to put on it, Dominic Cummings’ flight to his family home near Durham clearly broke coronavirus lockdown rules and he should resign or be fired.
There just cannot be one law for MPs and the prime minister’s staff and another for everyone else.
To allow this situation to fester is manna for the freedom brigade and could eventually lead to a breakdown of the Covid-19 regulations.
If Matt Hancock, Michael Gove and others can condemn Professor Neil Ferguson for breaking lockdown rules, why not Dominic Cummings?
It would appear this dysfunctional government, so keen to protect Cummings, cannot function without their de facto leader.
Ian Auchterlonie.
93 Denoon Terrace,
Dundee.
Plainly we’re not all in it together
Sir, – The people of England voted in a Tory government by large numbers, meanwhile in Scotland they were reduced like the others to nothing more than also-rans dependent on their bosses in London for their existence.
In England the Tory rallying call was one nation conservatism and we are all in it together.
With Dominic Cummings breaking lockdown not once but twice and being stoutly defended, where does this leave their message.
To the majority of Scots I would suspect most would have guessed that this message didn’t really apply to them.
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Perth.
Elie chain walk must stay open
Sir, – I’m sorry emergency services have been called out to the Elie Chain Walk (Woman in hospital having fallen from coastal path, Courier, May 21).
But to even talk about closure is a step too far.
There is already adequate signage and anyone worth their salt would do their research first.
It is a rite of passage and a great challenge to show friends visiting from outside the area. I remember my first attempt.
I was rather awed and unsure how to start when I saw a seven-year-old girl head up the chain like a mountain gazelle.
If you are careful all is fine.
My tip would be that you don’t need to do it when the tide is in!
Ian Brooks.
17 Halyburton Place,
Cupar.
Missing details on care deaths
Sir, – In nine weeks 66 people have died in care homes in Fife where the coronavirus was a factor.
These are vulnerable individuals who were placed in care homes because this was supposed to be the safest place for them, where they could expect the best care.
Instead they faced dying before their time without family, without GP visits and largely without palliative care.
It would be good to have some figures for how many people have been discharged from “bed-blocking” in hospitals and transferred into care homes since the order (and funding) came from the Scottish Government to empty hospitals in March.
It would then be necessary to know whether these transfers were tested for Covid-19, and what infection control procedures were in place in the care homes they were transferred to.
Crucial to this is information about whether care staff had personal protective equipment that was fit for purpose when these new patients entered.
I doubt we will ever get this information because it would show clearly where the negligence lay which caused 66 individuals to die, and who was responsible for it.
Linda Holt.
Independent Councillor for East Neuk and Landward,
Dreel House,
Pittenweem.
