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Readers’ letters: Slow and steady won’t win Omicron race

Streets of Amsterdam during the first day of the sudden lockdown in Dutch capital city on December 19, 2021
Streets of Amsterdam during the first day of the sudden lockdown in Dutch capital city on December 19, 2021

Sir, – Once again Britain is not watching what is happening in Europe.

Most of the other countries are bringing in stricter rules earlier due to the lightning speed of the Omicron virus but as usual the four nations of Britain are limping to the finish line.

It seems after 20 months of learning lessons about how this virus spreads and the advice from top medics, they dither and ignore.

Don McKay, Provost Hogg Court, Aberdeen.

Hospital PR pics are a royal pain

Sir, – I’m getting more and more annoyed when I see politicians and members of the royal family enjoying photo opportunities at various NHS hospitals and vaccination venues getting in the way of the hard-working health workers who are overworked at the best of times without these interruptions.

Alan McPherson, Grant Street, Cullen, Moray.

NHS values would never deny care

Sir, – I am no longer surprised by the casual cruelty of Tories but Mr Dingwall-Fordyce’s letter “Deny anti-vaxxers care from NHS” ups the ante and begs a response, not least on behalf of Scotland’s long-suffering NHS which he criticises as incompetent.

To deny a fellow human being care in their hour of need is the height of unjustifiable callousness. These are not the values on which the NHS was founded.

Indeed this is the same kind of selfish thinking which would call for letting migrants drown and the poor starve.

I had an appointment today with our local practice nurse and her natural and practical reaction to his suggestion was that it was unfair to those who have paid up their national insurance but can’t or choose not to be vaccinated, difficult to fairly administer and unethical and probably illegal for healthcare staff.

I am very glad I live in Scotland where we have the best-performing NHS in the UK and where attitudes like Mr Dingwall-Fordyce’s are neither mainstream nor given serious consideration by anyone with empathy in their heart or sense in their thinking.

Peter E. Smith, Aigas, Beauly.

Work together for Scottish prosperity

Sir, – As the uncertainty surrounding independence continues to hang over our
nation, who can blame the UK Government and global business corporations for holding back investment in Scotland or diverting it to other parts of the UK?

The UK Government’s plan to invest money in other parts of the UK rather than support the north-east Scotland Cluster bid is very disappointing, but hardly surprising considering it would mean trying to work with an unco-operative administration in Holyrood.

With current developments in relation to oil and gas and the north-east economy, how can we trust the present Holyrood administration on their own to come up with realistic and definitive plans for a “green jobs revolution”?

For the sake of our economy and wellbeing, I would appeal to the Scottish Government to work with our close neighbours throughout the UK to ensure the protection of our future.

Alone, we will continue to hear promises that can’t be fulfilled and be heading for imported fuels and poverty.

G Whitbourn, North Beach Road, Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.