Please note these letters were received before today's announcement by Boris Johnson of further measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19
I BELIEVE the time has come for the Scottish Government to be much more proactive in its response to Coronavirus and to encourage our chosen representatives at Westminster to follow suit.
I find it extraordinary that we are continuing to blindly follow a strategy based on, at best, unproven epidemiology – and one which has been widely questioned by authorities in the UK, the World Health Organisation and others.
Even if this unproven strategy is correct, the cost in human lives is likely to be in the hundreds of thousands (Johnson has admitted that) and I find it deeply concerning that the Scottish Government is going along with this at this time and is seeking to work with the other UK nations on a co-ordinated approach.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson urges public to stop all 'non-essential contact'
I’m sorry, but I find the likely death of hundreds of thousands of mainly vulnerable, old, frail and/or disabled people absolutely unacceptable.
Why are we not closing things down more rapidly to flatten the “sombrero” even more and buy more time for Matt Hancock’s additional ventilators to be produced to help with the seriously ill and even possibly a vaccine to be developed?
Why are we to be the petri dish for this “experiment”? Why is no other country following the “Great British” lead on this?
Will the UK become a pariah state as other countries refuse (as I suspect they will) to allow UK travellers in because we “may” have an immunity to/be carriers of a virus which they have attempted to eradicate? How do we know that this virus won’t mutate, as viruses do, and any “immunity”, if indeed the “herd” works, becomes worthless?
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Is the situation already very much worse than we have been led to believe, and this is just cover for anticipated multiple deaths?
Given the adverse comment already on Johnson’s dubious “experiment”, I do not believe that the UK Government’s position is sustainable. Nor do I believe the “keep calm and carry on” while we co-operate in this experiment makes the Scottish Government’s position sustainable either.
We need reassurance and action from OUR government and OUR leader and, if that means telling the rest of the “awesome foursome” that we’re breaking ranks and why we’re doing so, so be it.
Dr Morven J Easton
Glasgow
OUR Westminster government has got its strategy completely wrong. Herd immunity, which they are relying on, is only effective after the majority of the population have been either vaccinated or infected and recovered. There is little prospect of any vaccine, let alone a large-scale immunisation process until next year. HIV for example is a virus and despite it being around for many decades now has not generated any form of herd immunity. Even common flu requires annual vaccination to reduce the infection and death rate.
At this stage with Covid-19 nobody knows whether or not herd immunity will or can be acquired, nobody knows the likelihood of relapse or reinfection, and it is far too soon to know if there are any residual long-term effects or even any potential rate of mutation. We do know so far that if people are young, fit and healthy there is the prospect of minimal consequences, so we have to wonder what the government’s real motive is behind their strategy, which is completely at odds with the rest of the international community.
Even if some in the herd do become immune, they can still spread the infection. On this note we need to remind ourselves that health in Scotland is a devolved matter. Lockdown so far seems to have been successful in China, so what Westminster is thinking nobody knows! Perhaps reduce the pension and care bill by devious means!
Nick Cole
Meigle, Perthshire
WHEN I read about the plan to give police powers to arrest coronavirus patients not self-isolating, I started to believe that British Government wants to be more responsible now than before.
But then I read that Scotland is banning gatherings of more than 500 people to help stem the spread of the virus.
I was shocked! Why 500 people? All gatherings should be banned. What is more important now: horse races, sports competitions, school activities or our health? Why don’t some politicians want to be responsible and start saving us from disaster?
Just because we live on an island does not mean that we are more secure than the inhabitants of the main continent. I doubt that.
Sometimes democracy has to be put on hold. I believe we have to do it if we want to survive as a nation. In may opinion the government needs to be more restrictive. We need to block borders, international transportation and start to be more disciplined. This time is like being at “war”. Let’s stop thinking about our particular business, let’s think about all of us and the country. Scotland, Wales, North Ireland and England need to cooperate to fight off the virus.
There are a lot of question marks in my letter, there are so many in front of us. And let’s not look for those who are guilty for the situation because we are all guilty. Those who have been chosen by us to rule in the UK and in their individual parts should consider in their consciences: “Are they doing everything to protect us?”
Roland Manowski
Aboyne
IT worries me greatly that in this time of national emergency we do not have a government of national unity. Many experts are questioning the Tory government’s approach to this crisis and a seeming reliance on this so-called herd immunity. The other thing that I find really disturbing is emergency powers. Allowing Boris Johnson and his Cabinet of fools to be in charge of an emergency powers act is akin to giving Dracula the keys to the blood bank.
Terry Keegans
Beith, North Ayrshire
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