What the papers said in the week ending 10 July 2021
The price of freedom?
Although it is clear that we must find a way to live with Covid-19 and its variants, there is anxiety that proposals to ease rules on July 19th are too extreme and ‘one-sized’. People who are vulnerable, including old people, fear their health and survival is threatened:
- PM to confirm 19 July end to Covid rules despite scientists’ warnings | Boris Johnson | The Guardian
- ‘Masking for trouble’: what the papers say about Johnson lifting Covid restrictions | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Ditching Covid restrictions now goes against all evidence | Letters | The Guardian
- England’s ‘freedom day’ to be day of fear for elderly people, charities warn | Health | The Guardian
- For many of us, ‘freedom day’ will be no such thing | Letters | The Guardian
The Covid Crisis’ consequences include
- Differentially more deaths amongst poor people: Covid death risk ‘almost four times higher’ for poorest in England | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Few deaths amongst children and teenagers: First year of pandemic claimed lives of 25 young people in England | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Cancelled operations as staff and other resources are diverted and exhausted: NHS hospitals forced to cancel operations again by unfolding third wave | Coronavirus | The Guardian
- Empty shelves as there are not enough drivers to transport goods: Sainsbury’s warns of shortages due to Covid and recruitment issues | J Sainsbury | The Guardian
- More food is taken ‘on-the-go’ Meals by wheels: UK drive-through booms as brands invest in new sites | Food & drink industry | The Guardian
- An Olympic Games where there will be no spectators in attendance for most events: Spectators banned from most Olympic events as Covid emergency declared | Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 | The Guardian
Fears for services and vulnerable people:
Proposals for major change in health and social care do not seem to be designed to be friendly to those most in need: Johnson to announce controversial plans for greater NHS control | NHS | The Guardian
There has been a draconian cut in Mental Health provision against a background of greater need: Number of NHS mental health beds down by 25% since 2010, analysis shows | Mental health | The Guardian
Supplements to Universal Credit are to be stopped: Universal credit £20 top-up will end this autumn, MPs are told | Universal credit | The Guardian
The Triple Lock which has seen conditions for older people improve over the past ten years looks likely to be lost: Rishi Sunak hints at suspension to pension triple lock | Pensions | The Guardian
- (Introduced in 2011 by the coalition government, the triple lock guarantees that the basic state pension will rise by a minimum of either 2.5%, the rate of inflation or average earnings growth, whichever is largest).
There has been talk of the need for ‘levelling up’ so that the poorest can have health and social characteristics closer to those of the wealthiest. All these measures will widen the gaps.
Religion:
Pope Francis has an age-related pathology but is receiving treatment: Pope Francis ‘reacted well’ to intestinal surgery | Pope Francis | The Guardian
Revelations of deaths of children taken to residential schools in Canada have shocked the world and are finding responses in outrage in Canada: Burned churches stir deep Indigenous ambivalence over faith of forefathers | Canada | The Guardian
The Church of England feels it cannot afford to implement the recommendations of its own report on social justice: C of E rejects call to appoint racial justice officers in every diocese | Anglicanism | The Guardian
- FromLamentToAction-report.pdf (churchofengland.org)
- From Lament to Action: key recommendations (churchtimes.co.uk)
Extremes of temperature:
Too hot or too cold – and survival is not possible – for humans and other creatures: World ‘must step up preparations for extreme heat’ | Climate change | The Guardian
- Extreme temperatures kill 5 million people a year with heat-related deaths rising, study finds | Extreme weather | The Guardian
- ‘Heat dome’ probably killed 1bn marine animals on Canada coast, experts say | Canada | The Guardian
Some things don’t change:
Coronation Street rolls out red carpet for Queen to mark 60 years | The Queen | The Guardian
Depression in old people:
Adrian Chiles writes that he is amazed that not all old people are depressed: in fact our resilience is remarkable. Old people have, on average stood up better to the additional stresses of these recent months, but it is important to recognise that sometimes even old people do become depressed. We can be helped with treatment:
- Let’s recognise that older people get depressed, too – and get them the help they need | Adrian Chiles | The Guardian
- Older people need help to tackle depression | Letters | The Guardian
David Jolley
