Coronavirus: This pensioner’s thanks to those keeping the country safe

The closure of pubs has led to alcohol panic buying at supermarkets.

Coronavirus: What councils like mine are doing to help you – Tom Riordan

AS a person over 70 years old, I have taken the official advice in this current ‘emergency’ and have cut out all face-to-face socialising. Can we all try to get things in perspective?

There are no hidden bombs in this country, we’re not living in refugee camps, the sky is not going to fall in. Each morning I awake to find my electricity and gas working, and water freely available from the tap.

Children leaving a school in Leeds following the Government announcement that all schools in England will close.

The post arrives and the dustbins are emptied, furthermore your editions continue to be available. Up-to-date information and discussion is broadcast on the television and radio, as well as entertainment.

Strangely, all the engineers and workers in those industries are not panicking. I presume that they are not the individuals emptying the shelves in food shops; so who are the thoughtless and selfish people that are making the situation so much worse for everyone?

A heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all those who continue to do their jobs keeping the country safe.

From: James and Helen Irvine, Skipton.

A group of teenage boys head for a supermarket after the country was put on shutdown.

MANY thanks for your page one editorial (The Yorkshire Post, March 20). It brought us great comfort in this difficult time.

We recently started to buy The Yorkshire Post, having read the Daily Telegraph for many years. The latter was a paper that I knew from ever since I was a teenager in the mid-70s.

In those days it was a serious newspaper with good quality journalism that rejected the extremes of left and right. In recent years it has become the vehicle for the mendacious journalism of the likes of Boris Johnson.

By contrast, we trust The Yorkshire Post that all we read is true to best of the journalists’ knowledge and belief. It has much to teach Fleet Street, although nowadays truth is considered secondary to prurient sensationalism that sells papers to the unthinking.

We like the fact that there is much local news as well as international and national events. My wife particularly likes the magazine on a Saturday. We look forward to many years with you.

From: Ken Playforth, Roundhay, Leeds.

AS an 89-year-old, I have lived through many difficult times but sadly this is clearly the worst and, regrettably, the public, through “panic buying”, are making matters a lot worse.

What has caused me the most anguish is the lack of sporting activity. Since I was six when I used to peruse the cricket scores in the old Leeds Mercury, and right through the Second World War when there was lots of sport taking place, I have followed sport on a daily basis.

Now there is nothing. A fact I am taking time to adjust to. Can things get worse? I hope sincerely that the answer is no and can only look forward to the return of normality.

From: Bill Taylor and Julie Galliard, Fylingthorpe, Whitby.

MY partner and I drove through Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby and Sleights at lunchtime on Saturday and were astonished at the ‘Bondi Beach’ crowds roaming around as if it was just another lovely spring Saturday by the seaside.

We were amazed to see chip shops open as well as many other outlets. It was very obvious to us that it was business as usual and find the whole attitude of not only the businesses concerned, but the general public who were flocking to them very worrying.

I have sent an email to the Prime Minister asking if he can stop this reckless and possibly life-threatening behaviour urgently as I, for one, would like to be around for a few more years to enjoy my grandchildren.

If you can help in any way to redress this awful situation I would be most grateful.

From: Dave Roberts, Connaught Road, Scunthorpe.

REGARDING Bill Carmichael’s article ‘Let’s appreciate all our modern benefits’ (The Yorkshire Post, March 20), I agree with him that we have been relatively little troubled by bad phenomena compared with previous generations.

But Bill claims to have “looked at the actual science” around the current coronavirus crisis. Why, then, does he debunk global warming and the climate emergency, apparently without looking at the science around that (supported by over 95 per cent of scientists)? Is it because the timeline for the climate emergency is much longer? Yet it has just as much potential to destroy a large proportion of humankind!

From: Mike Wilson, Burstall Hill, Bridlington.

I AM locked out of my Facebook account for reasons known only to Facebook. Now that we are socially isolating ourselves, I find it intolerable that my contacts are now inaccessible because of the action of Facebook.

Where are my rights in having contact with others if I am prevented from doing so?

I have no information as to why my account is locked. If I understood the problem, I may be able to offer a solution. But I am helpless, as all efforts – over many days – have failed to find a solution. All the suggestions offered on YouTube and the like have failed. Can you help me regain my account so I may contact my friends?

From: Ralph Lennard, Leeds.

THIS is the email that I’ve sent to Sky News.

“You are an absolute disgrace, your showing just now at 6pm (March 21) of people queueing at a supermarket and the subsequent interviews only makes people panic more. Cut this out from your news bulletins immediately.”