I am not sure why Tim Martin gets such broad media coverage (Wetherspoon’s chief calls for pubs to reopen at same time as non-essential shops, 15 February) in defending his self-interest, but I must take issue with the claim that there had been no outbreaks of Covid-19 arising from pubs using the test-and-trace system as proof. Two family members and I stayed in a hotel over Christmas and I tested positive a few days later. I filled in the government app to say where I had been for the past week, giving the name and address of the hotel. I assumed this was to enable the system to contact people who were also there. Neither of my family members was notified, so I wonder whether this system works.
Martin’s logic is also flawed because if someone goes to a pub for a couple of hours and then goes into work on a daily basis during the incubation period, when the symptoms appear the source is more likely to be assumed to be the workplace. I am really looking forward to meals and drinks out again, but I would urge the government not to weaken so that we can all return to our lives safely and permanently, even if it involves a bit more social deprivation.
Roy Grimwood
Market Drayton, Shropshire
