The coronavirus ‘front line’ includes care homes. It’s a scandal this was ignored for so long

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Professor Keith Willett, NHS England’s senior incident director for coronavirus, would do well to remember that the spread of the virus in care homes is precisely because he, and other quangos, did not listen to the adult social care sector in time (Coronavirus set to re-emerge in society through care homes, warns NHS chief).

This dreadful virus has had a disproportionate effect upon vulnerable people including those adults, young and old, living in care homes, not to mention the staff.

The fact remains that neither NHS England nor Public Health England, or indeed any quango, was able to deliver the necessary PPE and testing until the military and professional service organisations took control.

I would suggest that NHS England would be more gainfully employed by redefining the front line to include care homes.

Professor Martin Green OBE, chief executive of Care England

Stating the obvious?

Well who would have thought it? Figures now indicate that deprivation contributes to coronavirus death rates (Coronavirus death rates more than double in more deprived areas, figures show).

I’m no doctor or statistician or owner of a crystal ball, but I’d say “deprived areas” are where disproportionately black and Asian people are obliged to live, contributing to increased vulnerability to the virus. Fatalities of NHS frontline workers are predominantly from black and Asian communities – this probably also applies to care home workers – reflecting both their preponderance in the vital professions that safeguard the nation’s health and the disgracefully low wages they earn for risking their lives every day.

You would think that the least the government would do is to provide everyone with correct PPE, but outrageously, not.

Eddie Dougall​
Bury St Edmunds

Never forget

Sean O’Grady identifies a number of priorities for the prime minister next year. It may no longer be a priority issue, but I hope that publishing the long overdue report on possible Russian interference in the UK democratic process will not be “forgotten” by the PM among all the other pressing government business.

Andrew Bruckland​
Cheltenham

Are we free?

Congratulations Boris. Yesterday’s announcement that the response to the pandemic has been a great success is a triumph of misinformation. Unfortunately, the message given by you appears to have been received as notice that the pandemic risk is over. On my local roads, which have been deserted for the last month, the traffic this morning was nose to tail. I expect this pattern is being repeated nationwide.

People now clearly think that life can get back to normal. While a rethink on the terms of your announcement would be welcome, I suspect that it will be difficult to put the genie back into the bottle now that people have tasted unfettered freedom.

Kate Hall
Leeds

Genuine enquiry

Does anyone have any figures on how the government stock of smokescreens is holding up?

Ian Hurdley
Dorset

Let children play

Lockdown will be particularly bad for children. Parents already restrict their children through fear of traffic. Covid-19 will increase restriction, leading to even more childhood obesity and mental stress. Government ignores children’s play – it should be encouraging councils to use existing legislation to make residential side roads a priority for pedestrians. This would enable children to get out and run around but they would be in much smaller numbers than school classes. It would therefore be a lower risk than opening schools and so could be started earlier.

Rob Wheway, director of Children’s Play Advisory Service
Coventry