I’m grateful for protection, but the idea that all older people like me are frail while the young are invincible is dangerous

While there is a correlation between age and susceptibility to the worst effects of this virus, this blanket assumption ignores the fact that everyone else needs to be safe too, writes Vince Cable

Healthy seventysomethings should be able to do their bit (PA)

I was one of the lucky amongst the millions of Brits in danger of being stranded overseas, in my case somewhere between here and Australia. My wife and I got back, with some difficulty, and are now in self-isolation, in our case doubly qualified as travellers and “vulnerable” over-70s.

To return from overseas is to see with some clarity the British response to the coronavirus: good and bad. What is good is that the rather smug British establishment, and in particular, a complacent prime minister, has recognised that it has much to learn about suppressing pandemics from better-organised countries in east Asia. The government also gets credit for a radical, unorthodox and sensible set of economic policies, though there is still an urgent need for help for the self-employed. And there are lots of encouraging stories of individuals and companies going the extra mile to help others.