When people are at the beach – do they think of those waiting for NHS care?

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Can I express my dismay and indeed anger at times at those who have shown a total disregard for the guidelines on social distancing over the past week, whether this has been through crowding onto beaches and parks, taking part in street parties and raves, or those that have been celebrating Liverpool FC’s Premier League title.

It is almost a year since my wife learnt that the cause of the pain that she has been enduring in her right hip was severe osteoarthritis and that she needs an operation for a replacement hip. In March, a date came through and the operation was due to take place 16 April. However, as you will recall, the government cancelled all operations from 15 April onwards. We understand that this was the correct thing to do, but we are now waiting for confirmation as to when her operation is going to happen again. The hospital is vaguely talking about August or even September but it could be later than that.

Our worry following the events of the past week is that there will be a second outbreak of cases of coronavirus, severe enough that the hospitals are put on full alert and all operations and treatments are put on hold again.

David Bowler

Potters Bar

Travel quandary

In all the discussions about the relaxation of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice on foreign travel, and about opening up UK holiday destinations, there has been no mention of whether the current NHS advice to those at greater risk of Covid-19, including all those over-70, is also to be relaxed.

The NHS website still says “if you’re at moderate risk from coronavirus, you can go out to work (if you cannot work from home) and for things like getting food or exercising. But you should try to stay at home as much as possible”.

This still, therefore, precludes holiday travel for over-70s and presumably means that any travel insurance policies will be invalidated if they leave home to go on holiday. Some urgent clarification is required.

Michael Clarke

Portishead

It’s one thing for the United Kingdom to say that our citizens and other residents can travel on holiday to other countries, but don’t other countries have their own points of view?

Estonia lists European countries by new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, on a weekly basis. A rate of 15 or more means that you can travel to Estonia, but must quarantine for 14 days. At present, the United Kingdom scores 24.4, and is one of six European countries above the threshold. Sweden scores 154.5. The others are Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Portugal and Romania.

Is this just another example of English exceptionalism where the road to Europe is a one-way street?

Chris King

London

Prime minister’s exercise

There was a frontpage picture in the Mail on Sunday of the prime minister on the ground, claiming to be doing press-ups. I didn’t doubt his word of course.

However I thought it would be interesting to know how many press-ups he could manage in a minute, so I searched to see if there was a video available of the feat. Unfortunately, it appeared that there wasn’t.

Susan Alexander

Frampton Cotterell

Coalition building

“Johnson served notice that he intended to fight for a second term as a Tory Blairite, building the widest possible coalition among voters of all classes and regions. Now Starmer has shown that he will be fighting for the same ground,” writes John Rentoul.

Leaving aside the arguably tautological term “Tory Blairite”, “the widest possible coalition” is far too sweeping, pointedly excluding as it does, Labour members on the left of the party.

Rentoul claims to eschew gloating (none in the article, John?) but he has a chosen an ineffective way of being “secretly pleased”.

Eddie Dougall

Bury St Edmunds

Working habits

Chris Blackhurst thinks the government should worry about workers preferring the seaside to returning to their hamster wheels of work. Has lockdown made us a nation of idle rodents? There may be other explanations.

People have had time for themselves and with their families. They may not want to give it all back to a life of commuting, office politics, shifts and zero-hours contracts

In place of a compliant workforce, the government faces thinking citizens demanding new ways to live, work and share. Of course they should be worried.

Tim Gardom MBE

Oxford