SO Omicron, the latest Covid-19 variant, is sweeping across the country, and does anyone care? Obviously not everyone judging by the behaviours I witnessed on Saturday travelling by train from Dumfries to Glasgow. It started in Dumfries station when a woman pointed out the boxes of lateral flow test available free of charge to her friend. The reply was: “I don’t want them – if I test positive I’ll need to isolate for ten days”. Both of these ladies, and others with them, then got on the train not wearing masks.

By the time the train reached Kilmarnock it was standing room only and a lot more people got on there, squeezing into the aisles and vestibules, inches away from each other and again about half with no masks. At subsequent stops more people tried to join the train, but even with the guard running up and down the platform gesturing to those already standing to squeeze even tighter, there just wasn’t room for anyone else. So for at least 45 minutes hundreds of masked and unmasked people suffered the agony of not knowing if the person breathing down on them was Covid positive.

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On the return journey the same torture was repeated on yet another crowded train. When challenging the person sitting opposite me about why he wasn’t wearing a mask, his reply was that he didn’t think he had to wear one although he was aware that masks had been reintroduced in London. This man lived in Kilmarnock. Another conversation revealed a father who hadn’t been vaccinated. His excuses ranged from the claim people have had fits after vaccination, that he has seen videos about side effects, that he doesn’t like being told what to do, that he just hasn’t had time, that he is prepared to take his chances. He did confirm, however, that his four children had all been given their childhood vaccinations. What’s the difference?

Nearing Dumfries, I came across a group of young people (late teens/early 20s) on their way to Carlisle for a night out – and not one with a mask. At Dumfries station platform a larger group of similar-aged young people got on the train, and again not one with a mask.

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If this type of attitude and behaviour is replicated across the country, no wonder the virus is spreading like wildfire. You simply can’t legislate against selfishness and ignorance, so yet again those who don’t care will require the sensible and compliant general public who do care to bear the brunt of any new measures introduced.

Time for enforcing what is put in place and for those not complying to be prosecuted. And time for Scotrail to become Covid-compliant. Ironic that I wear a mask in a restaurant when not seated at a table, with tables socially distanced, yet trains can be packed full of passengers just inches away from each other, many with no masks, and that’s OK.

Ann Ferguson
Dumfries

ON Saturday there was a march through the centre of Dundee of those who do not believe in vaccination, vaccine passports, mask-wearing and other alleged governmental control instruments. I recognise everyone’s right to protest, they (we) are entitled. What I find difficult to understand is that these marchers were permitted to enter an indoor location, ie the Overgate Centre.

Nearly everyone else (normal shoppers) walking about was wearing masks, however these marchers were all unmasked and shouting out their slogans. A Covid super-spreader event in the making.

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Listening to Martin Geissler on Sunday morning on the radio, interviewing John Swinney MSP on Omicron, he tried to imply that since the severity of Omicron is “less” than the Delta variant, couldn’t we just live with it and carry on?

John Swinney took him to task over his remark, stating clearly that infection rate increasing at the current rates will cause increased hospital visits, which will impact the performance of their normal performance.

The hospitality industry are looking for clarity again. How clear does it need to be? Increasing Omicron infections are bad, however mild; the Scottish National Health Service will be badly affected, due to collateral damage, reduction in staff availability.

Critical health backlogs will increase, and above-normal death rates in Scotland will continue to increase, as has been reported over the last six months.

Alistair Ballantyne
Birkhill, Angus

ANOTHER government-financed total UK lockdown to defeat Covid might not be possible, as the banks could be reluctant to create more money to finance a situation where business would be further damaged, as business is the only hope of getting their magic money interest.

If another lockdown was necessary, the state would have to issue its own new and interest-free currency, to take over from the banks. In financial terms Britain is in an awkward position, but handled properly we could see an end to the self-obsessed UK banking system that exists to exploit us, and has no sense of duty or concern towards our country. An independent Scotland, however – with its own currency and central bank – would have no such problem.

Malcolm Parkin
Kinnesswood, Kinross-shire