Slow Steps to Recovery

Religion has found an impressive degree of interest in the media this week.

The Guardian Centrefold on Friday was headed: ‘Keeping the Faith’ and reports on activities on the streets and through various media and internet means by which Christianity and the other faiths have been reaching more people than ever as people look for ways of reconciling to life under threat and with restrictions. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/jul/03/keeping-the-faith-religion-in-the-uk-amid-coronavirus
Communal worship is being made possible, though with caution which will require disciplined social distancing, avoidance of using shared materials, and a ban on congregational singing. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-53219921. Many will be relieved to be allowed this return to fellowship. We will see if the internet followers translate into flesh – Let us hope so for the reciprocal involvement will sustain and lead to personal and organisational growth
Less happily, the new Archbishop of York’s apology for previous failings makes news. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/29/new-archbishop-of-york-sorry-for-response-to-domestic-abuse-allegations. Such an honest confession from a man in this office is refreshing. A reassurance to others.

Covid-19

Concerns from the pandemic continue, including its impact on old people, especially those with illness and disability who have lived in care homes.

The management of the threat in the UK has appeared to be poor compared with some other countries https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/28/covid-19-risk-of-death-in-uk-care-homes-13-times-higher-than-in-germany
Reasons for this are seen to be deep-rooted and require systemic changes if the health of all the people is to be honoured https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jun/28/why-the-uk-is-the-sick-man-of-europe-again

The government is represented as reckless in its pursuit of reactivating the economy and at odds with the caution wished by ordinary people https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jul/03/the-guardian-view-on-reopened-pubs-a-reckless-risk-to-a-cautious-nation
The most vulnerable, who have been required to take action to reduce the likelihood of exposure to infection, are now urged to return to active lives – Not everyone feels that it is yet safe for them to do this: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/03/shielders-face-a-difficult-choice-as-lockdown-eases
There is frank hostility to the government’s unilateral decision to abandon the tried and tested public health systems of the NHS, and to award a massive contract to private sector, international companies. Picked up by the lay press, the reasons why this is a wrong step to take are exposed in a measured article in the British Medical Journal https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/02/uk-set-to-award-covid-19-testing-contracts-worth-5bn-to-private-bidders
https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/369/bmj.m2484.full.pdf

The wish to behave as if the Covid-19 crisis is all but over, is declared to be understandable but not in keeping with the facts yet https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/30/covid-19-global-health-crisis-solutions-americas-india-africa

There is, however, some room for optimism as deaths per week in the UK have fallen back to average or below https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/30/deaths-in-england-and-wales-fall-below-average-for-first-time-since-coronavirus-lockdown
Hospital admissions for non-urgent procedures have fallen because so much focus has been on Covid-19. Within this there is anxiety and experience that additional health problems are being stored up, producing suffering and sometimes death https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/30/non-urgent-england-hospital-admissions-drop-by-725000
In the flood of research hoping to identify treatment or amelioration of Covid-19, we have leaned that vitamin D supplements have no impact https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-vitamin-d-supplements-treatment-evidence-a9592016.html

Music:

BAME communities.

In the week when Christians on Ageing hosted a Conference Call on special considerations of older BAME Christians, there is confirmation that many BAME families endure the stress of poverty https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jul/01/nearly-half-of-bame-uk-households-are-living-in-poverty

Yet Lord Woolley, Chair of the governments Race Disparity Advisory Group, is optimistic: ‘The UK now has chance to transform inequality’ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/01/coronavirus-inquiry-could-transform-racial-inequality-in-uk

Gambling: the initiative by MPs of all parties to revise the law so that the damage of gambling can be brought under control, is again given press space www.christian.org.uk/news/mps-call-for-radical-overhaul-of-gambling-regulation/

Other matters:

Might be set against a study which uses evidence from fossils, poetry and place names to assert that eagles flew across the whole of Wales in the past. Even when memory seems to have been lost, there are clues deep down. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jun/30/golden-eagle-white-tailed-once-widespread-across-wales

History is being rewritten in Brussels as a city square is to be renamed in honour of the Bronte sisters. The square will be ‘Place de Soeurs Bronte’, ‘Zusters Bronte plein’. Political correctness seeks more honours for women.https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/02/brussels-to-name-public-square-after-bronte-sisters

Those we have lost:

Professor Tom Arie, having been celebrated on line some weeks ago, is now gracing the print edition of the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/jun/15/tom-arie-obituary

David Jolley