Smokescreen over infections only benefits Government - Yorkshire Post Letters

THE national number of Covid infections reported excluded all cases in Scotland or Northern Ireland on certain days last

week.

The numbers of cases reported on Monday and Wednesday were also underestimated because PCR Covid tests were unavailable for periods on both days.

With the lack of reporting over the Christmas holidays we have been deprived of a reliable picture of the progression of the disease since Christmas Eve.

Who benefits from this smokescreen? The obvious answer is Boris Johnson’s Tory Government. Camouflaging the true situation saves its embarrassment.

It also promotes an explosive spread of infections, making it likely that the peak will be over before next May’s council elections, a key test for Johnson’s leadership. For Johnson, additional deaths in the next couple of months are merely collateral damage.

Meanwhile, the public is being blamed for not taking up booster shots. This too is deliberately misleading. The pace of advance of the Omicron variant is such that, without further public health restrictions, the booster campaign never stood a chance of reaching all those who need it before the main wave strikes.

No wonder the Government is planning a raft of self-protective legislation: protecting itself from judicial review, criminalising peaceful protesters and placing unnecessary restrictions on citizens’ right to vote.

From: David Craggs, Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire.

I FEEL that I have to respond to the ‘Feedback’ your paper received to my letter on the wearing of face masks. I have to assume that you received many comments, and that the 16 actually printed were a representative sample.

Of the 16, three appeared to agree with the wearing of masks, seven were against, and seven didn’t express a personal view, but made a general comment. Those against, appeared to support my view with their ‘I know best’ attitude, the very point I was trying to make. Perhaps I could add a few supportive observations I have recently made.

- I cannot get into my doctor’s surgery without wearing a mask. My doctor wears one when I see him.

- I cannot get into my local hospital without wearing a mask.

- My local pharmacy insists on me wearing one.

Are those who ‘on principle’ object to wearing masks, saying to all those who do so, ‘You’ve simply got it wrong’?