I felt moved by a letter that I read recently printed in the Daily Mail newspaper. It was submitted by a staff nurse working on a COVID-19 ward in a London hospital. She felt so saddened by people behaving as if the lockdown was over whilst her patients battle and sometimes lose their fight against the virus that that she had asked her family and friends not to clap for her on a Thursday evening. Whilst she holds the hands of the dying, people act selfishly and apparently without any social conscience at all. I would imagine there are many NHS staff who feel exactly as she does. Just look around our own town where some individuals must perceive themselves to be invincible. I cannot be the only person disturbed by the increased amount of traffic, both car and foot traffic in and around our town. I know it is hard to adhere to the restrictions. It seems like they have been there such a long time and we are not yet able to behave in the carefree manner we would all like, particularly now the summer is emerging. But the restrictions are not there to spite us they are there for everyone’s benefit. COVID-19 patients are still dying by the hundreds, young and old. Don’t think that because you are young it won’t affect you. I think specifically about the children regularly entering into the new skate park on the seafront, the vast majority of whom certainly look old enough to know right from wrong. They are not invincible but surely ignorant of the fact that they could be harbouring the virus and potentially therefore transmitting it to others who may then develop the ghastly, life-threatening symptoms. It could impact directly upon their own families, their parents, siblings and grandparents. Where are the parents in this? Are they aware of their child’s activities? Don’t they wonder what they are getting up to every day? Do they have no sense of social and moral responsibility? Clearly not. This is a time to be strong and to stick together and act for the benefit of everyone not just the one. It’s a time to think of those who have experienced the virus and who continue to recover and those who have not made it through. To remember the difficulties that many are facing as a result of unexpected hardship brought about as a result of the lockdown. This selfish behaviour dishonours those individuals and their families, makes a mockery of those shielding and self isolating and of all the services, providers and agencies trying to keep the country going during this most challenging time.
