Coronavirus: It’s time for Corona 0.7 – we have to give to those in need

In 2020 Britain, people who are visibly starving are going to food banks. Chris Blackhurst says that a nation that has forgotten its proud history of altruism must give more, starting with the UN’s modest suggestion

If they are to avoid abuse and worse, the wealthy have to dig a lot deeper (Alamy)

Every day, amid the misery inflicted by coronavirus, there are tales to gladden the heart. Charitable donations are pouring forward, from some of the richest people on the planet, from celebrities, and from ordinary people who are determined to help. In the UK, 99-year-old “Captain Tom” Moore has become a folk hero, raising a fortune for the NHS with his pledge to walk 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday.

It is truly uplifting, and in the case of Second World War veteran Tom, positively tear-jerking. Sadly, more, much more, is required.

One of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is to bring into sharp relief the desperate inequality that besets us. The schism was growing and becoming ever evident, but the crisis is highlighting it like never before.