Boris Johnson’s objective is clearly not to protect the public from Covid, but to stave off criticism by painting his incompetent decisions in as favourable a light as possible (Boris Johnson’s Covid flip-flops: the pledges upended by reality, 20 December). The “tiers” were a thinly disguised lockdown, but have been ineffective apart from maximising economic chaos and demoralisation. Johnson has done everything at the wrong time, perpetuating uncertainty and financial hardship for the hospitality industry for the sake of face-saving platitudes about Christmas gatherings.
The latest mendacious stratagem seems to be to blame tier 4 measures that we all knew were inevitable on a “new strain” of virus – an excellent scapegoat when the chickens are coming home to roost on a lack of leadership that is costing lives. The latest decision has generated a super-spreading event at transport hubs, with the usual stable-locking exercise after the public horse has bolted. Unbelievable? Yes, if it were not so predictable.
Philip Barber
(Consultant respiratory physician), Manchester
• The Covid Recovery Group seems to have labelled itself with a strong sense of irony. The tier system is failing because its implementation has been too little, too late. The governments that have done best at managing the infection have been those that had early, strict lockdowns, saving lives and their economies.
It’s like coming third in a marathon and deciding your problem was too much training. Next time, you go to the pub every night, turn up late for the race and complain that you would have won if you hadn’t been disqualified.
Dr Michael Peel
London
• Two arguments were put forward by Sir Patrick Valance at the weekend to support the government’s change in policy on Covid-19 restrictions in London and the south-east. The first was the large increase in infections attributed to the new variant of Covid-19. A comparison was made between data for the week commencing 18 November, when the proportion was 28%, and data for the week commencing 9 December, when it was 62%. Presumably, data on the proportion of infections attributed to the new variant was available also for the weeks starting 25 November and 2 December.
The second argument was that there was a rapid increase in rates of Covid-19 infection in London and the south-east in December. Since data on rates of infection is available daily, the December data presented will have covered 18 days. Presumably, the steep rise in infection rates was visible throughout the period. Why has information on these increases not been presented before now, mere days before Christmas, and with eight hours’ notice of the change in government policy? The prime minister said the data was only provided to him on 18 December. Is it really possible that the data was held back from him until then?
Patrick White
London
• Matt Hancock accuses last-minute travellers of irresponsibility (Report, 20 December). Surely it is the government that is to blame, with its last-minute U-turn? It was presumably aware of the new strain as long ago as 11 December, but only last Wednesday, Boris Johnson was as boosterish about Christmas as only he can be, making cheap jibes at the more cautious Keir Starmer, raising cheers from his backbenchers. No wonder people made firm plans accordingly.
Adrian Cosker
Hitchin, Hertfordshire
