How can we ease lockdown so soon after we’ve flouted social distancing guidelines?

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I am rather perturbed by reports of a downturn in the coronavirus in England. This is based, as far as I am aware, on a trend towards less transmission. Predictions based upon trends are usually made with the expectation that prevailing conditions are likely to continue.

This assumption is hardly warranted when we are aware of mass breaches of the social distancing guidelines over the last few weeks, on the beaches (as the prime minister wants to be Churchillian), at the demonstration rallies and, more understandably, on buses and the London underground.

As there is a time lag before we find out if these events will have had an impact, I think we ought to think twice before supporting current government extrapolation of trends. Beware the ides of July.

Cole Davis
Norwich

Green spaces

I read James Moore’s piece on the possible threat to our parks with interest. Here in Leigh-on-Sea we have a much loved small local park, the grounds of the former rectory, now a branch library.

Over the past few years, austerity had left it looking a bit sad. A couple of years ago the town council stepped in and established a small group of volunteers to help with clearing litter and weeding the flower beds in conjunction with the local parks department. This followed the example of another local group in the historic gardens of Southchurch Hall. Last year that group became a standalone small charity, Friends of Leigh Library Gardens, and we have managed to raise some funding.

We are still a small group and Covid-19 has hit us hard, halting operations just as the growing season started but we are now slowly bouncing back with suitable precautions in place. These two local groups hopefully show the way forward in difficult times to make sure we don’t lose our local green spaces.

Valerie Morgan
Leigh-on-Sea, Essex

Meaty matters

In Zoe Tidman’s article, “Coronavirus: Why are there so many outbreaks at meat factories?”, she reports on the high incidence of coronavirus cases in meat factories in the UK and around the world.

The article records representatives from the meat industry as being defensive but baffled for an explanation while experts believe that the unique conditions in meat factories, in particular the low-temperature environment, may have contributed.

My opinion, based on studies of the airborne transmission of viruses for about 30 years, is that a practice, common to meat factories, may provide an explanation. Washing down is used frequently in such facilities to maintain hygiene and when accompanied by vigorous brushing or especially by high-pressure hosing this will generate large quantities of droplets and aerosols. If the floor or surfaces in a facility is contaminated with a pathogen, such as a coronavirus, it is very likely that infectious particles will be dispersed into the atmosphere. Consequently, workers in that environment will be at risk of inhaling the airborne virus.

The alarmingly high incidence of cases of coronavirus in meat factories calls for better protection of workers. A step in that direction would be to provide them with virus-protective masks of FFP2/3 standard or higher.

Alex Donaldson, former head of the Pirbright Laboratory, Institute for Animal Health
Guildford

An overreaction?

The pandemic has highlighted the limits of “the science” and the misplaced hubris of the political class. On whatever measure you choose – deaths, infections, rate of transmission – the epidemiological models that convinced governments to take a sledgehammer to their economies proved scandalously pessimistic and out by orders of magnitude.

The virus’s spread would be “exponential”; it wasn’t. The infection fatality rate would be 1 per cent; it’s about 0.2 per cent, akin to severe flu. Lifting lockdowns early would see cases surge; they haven’t. We were all vulnerable; most weren’t (median age of death well over 80). Lockdown and a two-metre safety zone were imposed because “something must be done”.

The global death toll is around that of the 1950/60s flu pandemics in spite of the fact that the world population has doubled. Future historians will struggle to see the impact of Covid-19 except for the disastrous response. Sadly the next blip may cause the same hysterics as humans tend to focus on extremes – our “negativity bias”.

John Cameron
St Andrews

Taxpayer scandal

Is it any wonder the NHSX app does not work? Billions have been spent on the NHS IT system in the last 15 years and it is still not possible for your medical records to get from one county to the next, so how do they think they could develop an app in six weeks?

It’s a shocking amount of taxpayer money thrown at a group of people who have failed for the last 15 years.

Cancel all apps. Use the postcode of people who tested positive and trace any contacts or their relatives – no app required.

Keith Jacques
Stafford

Spotlight-hungry

After seeing a recent front-page photo of Boris Johnson, it struck me as strange how the prime minister can miss Cobra meetings, select committee meetings, EU meetings, coronavirus updates and even the House of Commons but never misses a photo opportunity.

Roger Stevenson
Cwmbran