OnTheWight always welcomes a Letter to the Editor to share with our readers – unsurprisingly they don’t always reflect the views of this publication. If you have something you’d like to share, get in touch and of course, your considered comments are welcome below.
This from a reader known to OnTheWight who wishes to remain anonymous. Ed
Please, please practise social distancing and give everyone space so you don’t accidentally kill someone who is extremely vulnerable like me – keep those of us who have been shielding safe.
People have been shielding – those people who are most likely to die from Coronavirus (Covid-19) if they were to get it – have been stuck indoors completely for a very long time, and now, come 1st August, the government is forcing people who have been shielding back to work and into the grocery stores.
Assume everyone is someone who could die from Covid-19
It isn’t safe for us to be out unless you stay away from us.
Please, assume that everyone – all people in the queue or who you pass by or who you want to reach over to grab a pint of milk – is someone who could die from Covid-19 or have permanently damaged lungs or other debilitating, life-long problems.
We have to depend on you being responsible for our health
Many of us with breathing problems, cancers, etc. cannot move fast enough to dodge out of your way. We are scared to go to places where there are other people, from the shops to the surgery to the pavement outside of our homes. We have to depend on you being responsible for our health and our lives.
Horrific recovery time
This still is a very serious virus. There is a not well reported number of people who have had a horrific time recovering, and many who have lived but who now have severely reduced lung capacity and other problems.
We worry about death but we also worry about permanent damage to our health and worsening of our diseases and conditions.
Please give way to us and a very wide berth
If you have a nan with COPD, an uncle with diabetes, a neighbour with a lung disease, a father with a heart disease, a niece with leukaemia, a friend on immunosuppressants for an autoimmune disease – you know that any of these people can be in the grocery queue or walking down the road. You want them protected from this virus.
Please give way to us and a very wide berth.
Make it safe for the extremely vulnerable
This isn’t just about spreading a virus that can make healthy people feel very sick. Thoughtlessness through not properly social distancing could kill now more than ever. Make it safe for the extremely vulnerable.
Thanks in advance for taking this seriously.
Image: United nations under CC BY 2.0
