We went out to clap for our NHS heroes and praised the fortitude of care home workers. We smiled at those who served us through the pandemic at supermarket tills. Most were relieved when their children returned to school. We even waved as our wheelie bins were emptied.
Some of these key workers who kept our society and economy running through Covid-19 had the highest potential exposure to the disease. Your report (Long Covid could create a generation affected by disability, expert warns, 23 March) was a stark reminder that so far not only have 163,000-plus lost their lives in the UK to Covid, but 1.5 million (2.4% of the UK population) have self-reported symptoms of long Covid.
Of these workers who had Covid-19, many are now suffering a longer-term disabling issue, becoming unfit to work from the debilitating illness, or requiring reasonable adjustments and support.
Occupational health and safety professionals believe these workers deserve a better and more sustainable future, and so we call on our colleagues in healthcare, occupational health and human resources, as well as employers and government, to work together to provide the tailor-made, flexible support that each one of them will need to not only return to work but thrive when they get there.
Ruth Wilkinson
Head of health and safety, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
The goverment’s laissez-faire approach to Covid – don’t worry about masks, and, if you insist on testing, you can pay for the kits yourselves – was intended to get Britain back to work and help the business community on to its feet.
It’s having precisely the opposite effect: staff absenteeism because of the debilitating illness is now widespread, and it’s all but paralysing certain industries, especially hospitality and theatre. Smaller businesses are finding it especially hard to absorb and many have closed.
Since my play Bloody Difficult Women opened at the Riverside Studios in west London, four out of the six members of the cast have tested positive and had to temporarily stand down from the production to be replaced by other actors. All are now mercifully back for its last week, and we have been lucky with the quality of the actors who have come to our aid and understanding audiences. But of course it racks up costs. We only had to abandon three performances, whereas other productions, often in the West End with significantly bigger outgoings, have had to go dark for longer and financially ruinous periods.
The implication of current government Covid policy is that even if you know you have the virus, it’s perfectly legal to infect others. This spreads around an illness that is still extremely unpleasant and potentially fatal to individuals with underlying conditions, defies common sense, and shows no regard whatsoever for business. It would have saved so much trouble if we’d just been told to keep wearing masks in crowded spaces.
Tim Walker
London
My daughter is high-risk, and until now I have tested negative with lateral flow tests before seeing her. Now free tests are being withdrawn. Do I take a chance with her health, or do I stop seeing her? No good telling me the symptoms are so mild now – that’s no help to somebody with reduced immunity.
Doris Bridgeman
Lane End, Buckinghamshire