Mask or no mask is not the debate we should be having – the real riddle is much harder to solve

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A couple of days ago, I was sitting at a table outside a recently reopened fast-food restaurant and got into a conversation with the guy at the next table about the impending requirement to wear a mask when in public.

Perhaps because I had one on and he didn’t. He presented me with several arguments against it, how it’s unnecessary, pointless, counter-productive, etc.

While one or two of his “reasons” seemed plausible, the other eight to nine were the classic “anti-vaxxer” conspiracy gibberish frequently splattered all over the internet.

Of course, I’m neither a doctor nor an expert on the private lives of viruses – and the gentleman could be 100 per cent right – but that’s not the problem.

The real problem is that the UK government has not convinced anybody of their ability to manage the country or to deal with the issues and events of the day. Nor have they informed or educated the population to a level where a consensus can be reached.

And it’s not just a case of a few deluded individuals, some crazy fringe, but at least a third, maybe almost a half of the people in this country. Get ready for a bumpy ride.

Fred Nicholson
Essex

Russia report

So now we have seen the Russia report and, while it shows no actual evidence of any Russian interference in the British democratic process, it also shows that no efforts were made to look for it or to defend against it, despite warnings from the intelligence committee. One almost wonders whether there might have been any conditions attached to those generous donations made by oligarchs to the Conservative Party.

Julian Self
Wolverton, Milton Keynes

Trust us, we’re the government

Now that the prospect of an effective vaccine is drawing closer, the government is faced with the task of ensuring sufficient take-up of a mass immunisation programme to enable the country to return as close to normal as possible.

In order to achieve this at a time when trust in our rulers is not at its highest, could I suggest that as soon as it is available, the vaccine should, on live TV, be administered to Johnson, Cummings, Gove, Hancock et al, as well as to their families?

I’m sure that witnessing this will instil in the rest of us the confidence to follow the lead set by our leaders.

Colin Burke
Cartmel, Cumbria

Social care ignored

While investment in public sector workers is clearly welcome, it is bitterly disappointing that social care remains overlooked and ignored by the government.

The persistent restrictions on social care funding means that this is by default a largely minimum wage sector. With 80 per cent of our income being spent directly on salaries, care providers cannot independently provide the uplifts that our workforce deserves without investment in our sector. This is continually not happening and it is illogical for the government to present this as a responsibility for local authority to solve.

Local authorities are cash-strapped and many find themselves unable to even meet the costs of national minimum wage rises set by central government. This means that while our contracts remain the same, we somehow have to find funds to meet these increases – often challenging the viability and sustainability of the services that we provide. All the while, the gap between care workers and the rest of society increases.

There is no other minimum wage sector where workers have such significant responsibility and accountability. We need to recognise that most people would feel unsuited to work in care, yet we treat it as though it is the most basic job in society. I would implore the government to recognise this fact, by providing ring-fenced investment into local authorities to uplift the pay of the social care workforce.

Mark Adams, CEO of social care charity Community Integrated Care

Rabble rousers

Without doubt, it is welcome to see Matt Hancock speaking out against vaccination deniers who are, as he said, “threatening lives”.

However, I have to mention that looking back over the last few years, correct me if I am wrong, was it not the right-wing of the Conservative Party and others like Ukip who rabble-roused people in the country to support their crusade on leaving the EU?

Now that they feel legitimised, along with fascists and racists, they staunchly refuse to get back in their box and, quite frankly, everyone now has to suffer.

Over the next few years, our government will slowly realise the folly of recruiting followers who, by very definition, can never be ameliorated because even if they have ultimate goals – many have not – these can never be achieved.

Robert Boston
Kingshill, Kent

Actions have consequences

Yes, you can have the right not to vaccinate your children – but actions always have consequences. For the safety of everyone, unvaccinated children should not be allowed to attend state schools. Of course, they have every right to home school them or see if they can find an independent institution that will take them.

Vaccination against coronavirus will protect the very young and the elderly. If anti-vaxxers were denied access to public services I suspect many would waiver in their opposition.

This public health issue, created totally by the dark side of social media, needs a Draconian response to keep our country safe and productive.

Anna Taylor
Sunbury on Thames

Boris family values

Downing Street has released the first picture of Boris Johnson with his latest child. A jolly family photo, albeit with the PM looking slightly bemused.

In contrast, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has spent several years imprisoned in Iran away from her small daughter, and will probably be unable to have any more children, as she and her husband would have planned.

Does Mr Johnson have irony in his repertoire? Or shame?

Susan Alexander
Frampton Cotterell, South Gloucestershire