Lockdown lessons for Yorkshire and Ministers on 100-day landmark – The Yorkshire Post says

THESE have been 100 days like no other and only the wartime generation could have foreseen the Covid-19 lockdown’s social, health and economic challenges.
This photo illustrates 100 days of lockdown life in Yorkshire. Photo: James Hardisty.This photo illustrates 100 days of lockdown life in Yorkshire. Photo: James Hardisty.
This photo illustrates 100 days of lockdown life in Yorkshire. Photo: James Hardisty.

They have bought out the best in humanity – a new-found neighbourliness and appreciation of all key workers – and also the worst in a selfish minority from panic buyers to those who have disregarded social distancing rules.

And it’s the same for local and national political leaders and officials – the efforts of the great many who have risen to the challenge offset by a handful whose approach has left much to be desired.

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Yet, on a day for sombre and sober reflection as Britain mourns its Covid victims, and the void created by so many deaths, forthcoming challenges remain considerable.

How one Yorkshire carer marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Photo: James Hardisty.How one Yorkshire carer marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Photo: James Hardisty.
How one Yorkshire carer marked the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Photo: James Hardisty.

From opening up the economy and pupils returning to school to a need to prevent a Leicester-like second spike in Covid, this county remains dependent on two priceless traits – common sense and co-operation – that have served the region so well.

They’re also recurring themes which define the album of pictures collated by this newspaper’s photographers for a special supplement today that charts the region’s response for posterity.

And they’re a gentle reminder to Ministers, ahead of the reopening of the hospitality and leisure sector, that communities deserve to be treated with respect and how one erroneous comment, like Health Secretary Matt Hancock stating incorrectly that there had been a new outbreak of Covid-19 in Keighley, can cause unwanted and unnecessary stress and duress.

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As such, the need for total transparency, openness and scrutiny is even more vital if the next 100 days are to mark the start of a sustained recovery rather than progress being hindered by loose talk from Mr Hancock and his apparent ambivalence towards local testing.

A new Covid-19 testing centre in Leicester.A new Covid-19 testing centre in Leicester.
A new Covid-19 testing centre in Leicester.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

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Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

Health and Social Care Sevretary Matt Hancock said - erroneously - that Keighley was a Covid-19 hotpsot.Health and Social Care Sevretary Matt Hancock said - erroneously - that Keighley was a Covid-19 hotpsot.
Health and Social Care Sevretary Matt Hancock said - erroneously - that Keighley was a Covid-19 hotpsot.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor

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