PM will listen to scientific experts on coronavirus

In a national, and international, crisis as unprecedented as the one we are going through, it is probably inevitable that whole squads of armchair experts will come to the fore.

But John Whitlock of Dukes Quay seems to have immersed himself in an over-upholstered three-seater settee from which to express his own expertise (Eastbourne Herald letters, May 1 click here to read).

In a situation the like of which no Government has had to face in peacetime, there are bound to be nuances of decision-making that could be found wanting, which will come to light in the full analysis that is certain to take place after the emergency has ended.

Churchill was found to have made mistakes, but thank God he was there to lead the country throughout a war, the conclusion of which 75 years ago we are marking this very week. Mr Whitlock wants politicians to act less on the findings of scientists and more on their own judgments.

Consider the possible consequences. You could see a world leader advocating that patients of COVID-19 be injected with disinfectant or blasted with ultra-violet light.

Yes, I know that is fantasy but one needs to point out the possibilities in the argument posited by Mr Whitlock.

Different countries have their different ideas, but no other has come close to losing its Prime Minister to the pandemic as we did a few weeks ago. Boris will be the first to listen to his scientific experts. We should follow suit.

In passing, I make one practical suggestion, not based on armchair theorising.

Our local lavatories are shut and locked. The Herald has reported that council workers are being deployed to other duties.

Would it be possible for some of them to be used to stand guard at the loos to ensure only small numbers enter them, along the same lines as the supermarkets?

That way the lavatories could be kept open. As someone with benign prostate problems who came to bladder grief while out shopping a few weeks ago, it would represent a welcome development.