Mon 13 Apr 2020, 14:11 PM | Posted by editor
LETTER from Mark Langabeer, Newton Abbot Labour Party member
Panorama’s reporter, Richard Bilton spoke to a number of those that have received a letter from the NHS, urging them to stay at home for twelve weeks. The term used in the letter is ‘shielding’ as this group are more likely to be hospitalised if they contract the virus. Around one and a half million have received these letters and the message from the Government is that ‘you’re not alone’. Bilton spoke to a number of those that are most vulnerable and it cast doubt on this claim.
He spoke to a lady who was wheelchair-bound whose GP stated that this bug would kill her. She has two carers daily, one to ensure medications are taken and the other for cooking, cleaning etc. She worries about whether they will be as frequent as before the lockdown.
Social distancing impossible for some
Bilton interviewed a carer who states that social distancing is impossible for most types of care. His main concern was that he could be a carrier of the virus and carers must have regular testing. Staff shortages in the care sector was a major problem before the coronavirus outbreak. Bilton spoke to a guy that had bowel cancer which is diagnosed as terminal. He’s chemotherapy has been delayed for three weeks as a result of fears about contracting the virus.
Strangely, this guy hasn’t received a letter from the NHS. It may have been an oversight. He has been advised to contact his GP. He’s worried that he may not be regarded as a priority, because his condition is terminal. Particularly vulnerable are the homeless and around 4,000 are living on our streets. A homeless guy stated that the food banks had closed and a charity had stopped providing hot drinks and clothes for them.
Trapped by the lockdown
Bilton spoke to a blind man who lived on the 14th floor of a high-rise block of flats. He stated that he was trapped as a result of the lockdown. A family whose four-year old son suffers from cystic fibrosis. The only contact he has is with his mum. His dad has to stay in a caravan at the bottom of their garden.
Last but not least, Bilton interviewed a ninety-year old man with cancer who felt a sense of acute loneliness. He recalled that he was ten when WW2 broke out. Bilton asked if this felt like war. His reply was “yes, germ warfare”. Bilton concluded that all of us could do more to assist those that are most vulnerable.
In my opinion, the current crisis is not simply an act of God, but a product of a system that is driven by private profit. Labour should reject the notion of the Tories and their big business backers that “we are all in it together”. Only a Labour Government committed to Socialist policies can prevent even greater calamities in the future.
