The government – not scientists – is responsible for the UK coronavirus death toll

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Lockdown relaxations are now wholly political. It is Boris Johnson and his cabinet who are making the decisions, driven by political, not scientific, considerations. It is they who carry responsibility for the additional deaths that happen.

Remember this when they try to divert responsibility for the worst death toll in Europe by claiming to have been following “the science”.

Arthur Streatfield

Penn Lea Road, Bath

The government’s plans for the coming week have been criticised by respected scientists. The R number is too high. The track and trace system is unprepared. They are not following the science. The new guidelines are clearly rubbish.

I intend to ignore them and carry on doing what we all (with a few notable exceptions) have been doing for 10 weeks.

Susan Alexander
Frampton Cotterell, South Gloucestershire

Hold politicians responsible

Will Boris Johnson be remembered as the prime minister who, together with his boss Dominic Cummings and their manipulation of the truth, took us out of the EU, and presided over the management of the Covid-19 crisis to give us the highest death toll outside the USA despite our world class health system?

Surely he should be held accountable for his actions and their dire consequences.

Heather Northridge

Barrowford, Nelson

Blood on their hands

If the true reason for easing the lockdown, too soon as some Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) members suggest, was to take attention off the Cummings scandal then they will have blood on their hands. Only the de facto PM and Boris Johnson know the true reason, but if it was purely political then how can they live with this on their conscience? A Christian might suggest hell awaits.

Alan Pack
Canterbury, Kent

Unwise Sage

The UK government has implemented a Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and called it Sage, which should indicate the prevalent dominance of wisdom. Probably.

Now more and more experts from within that group and top civil servants are warning Boris Johnson the lifting comes too early with a world-beating track and trace system not yet ready and hot weather causing imminent risks.

What is a Sage for when all the best advice is discarded again? Where is the wisdom and common sense? Or has it been sacrificed in favour of personal political ambitions?

D Court Chamba
Address provided

Why the fuss?

I cannot fathom the furore surrounding President Trump’s decision to terminate US relations with the WHO. At the time of writing, the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in America alone has exceeded 100,000 people. This number is likely to be an underestimate. The resulting economic, social, cultural and environmental injustices are beyond comprehension.

Could someone please tell me what the WHO has done so far to mitigate such avoidable fatalities, alleviate human suffering and the terrorism of poverty, hopelessness and political disenfranchisement?

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob
London