The Unseemly Rush to Open

I know that as a retired person with a guaranteed income, my pension, no mortgage and no children to home-school I am having it relatively easy during the lockdowns. But am I the only one with grave misgivings regarding the seeming rush to "open up" that is being trumpeted in much of the media?

Personally I would rather stay locked-down for an additional few weeks rather than open up too soon and then being forced to lockdown yet again.

I would have thought that the Prime Minister would do best by damping down expectations until we are certain that we have the virus situation under some sort of control. I think that although the numbers are far better than they were we are not yet out of the woods. 

The Catholic Church and Vaccinations

 In September 2020 the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales issued a statement COVID-19 and Vaccination (24 September 2020). In the light of the recent breakthrough in vaccine development we now wish to issue a follow up statement.

The development of a vaccine against COVID-19 presents an important breakthrough in protecting others as well as oneself from the virus; a virus which has not only caused a global pandemic and led to a huge loss of life but has also placed a great burden on healthcare workers and systems.

Each of us has a duty to protect others from infection with its danger of serious illness, and for some, death. A vaccine is the most effective way to achieve this unless one decides to self-isolate.

At present, debate concerns the use of the vaccines developed by Pfizer & BioNTech, Moderna, and AstraZeneca. Some have questioned the use of the Astra Zeneca vaccine since it has been developed from cell-lines originating from the cells of an aborted foetus in 1983.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Pontifical Academy of Life have expressed the view that one may in good conscience and for a grave reason receive a vaccine sourced in this way, provided that there is a sufficient moral distance between the present administration of the vaccine and the original wrongful action. 

In the COVID-19 pandemic, we judge that this grave reason exists and that one does not sin by receiving the vaccine.

Both the Pfizer & BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have a different source since they are mRNA-based vaccines. On 2 December 2020, the Pfizer & BioNTech vaccine was approved for use in the UK.

Each Catholic must educate his or her conscience on this matter and decide what to do, also bearing in mind that a vaccine must be safe, effective, and universally available, especially to the poor of the world.

Catholics may in good conscience receive any of these vaccines for the good of others and themselves. In good conscience, one may refuse a particular vaccine but continues to have a duty to protect others from infection.

The Government and Faith

 Colin Bloom has been appointed, as the Faith Engagement Adviser at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to lead an on-line review into how best the government should engage with faith groups in England.

This seems to be a rare but valuable opportunity to let the government know how we feel about their current and on-going ways of engagement.

The review closes on 11th December 2020.

More details about how to respond to the review can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/independent-faith-engagement-review-call-for-evidence <https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/independent-faith-engagement-review-call-for-evidence>

Cornwall and deprivation in the UK

 Purely by chance this morning I watched "Cornwall with Simon Reeve" (Thursday 26 November). If you get a chance do watch it. This episode was focussed on the job market in Cornwall; amid the many second homes and upmarket restaurants it has some of the most deprived parts of the UK.

The major issues are that there are very few "career jobs" most are part-time summer jobs and so young people are leaving the county. The major industries such as mining (tin, copper and china clay) and fishing have either closed or require far fewer staff thanks to mechanisation. So many of the towns built on these industries are in rapid decline and nothing has replaced them.

It showed a group of young people who collectively ran some mobile catering outlets on the beach did manage to make a go of it this year despite the pandemic. They have made enough money to take an eight year lease on some premises and start a new restaurant - but not in Cornwall as there are no affordable sites.

Ironically the growth in working from home may be part of the salvation of this part of the country as some of the second homes (in some small towns and villages more than 50% of the dwelling are second homes) may become year round homes which will help sustain holiday towns in teh bleak mid-winter months.

There are no quick and easy answers to the problems of Cornwall and I am sure that there are other areas that have similar problems. I am not posting this to start a "social media debate" as they generally end up in hurling slogans at one another. Rather do watch this programme and think about how we can solve these major structural problems that we have in the UK.

We need a grown up intelligent debate, sadly they are few and far between these days. How we start one is the big question.

Is it me or Mr Johnson that is Bonkers?

 Am I going totally bonkers? (please don't answer that rhetorical question as I know you will say yes, those that don't will say that I am already bonkers). But what is the government (or rather the governments of the four nations that make up the UK) trying to achieve by all the lockdowns?

If you stay indoors and don't ever meet anyone else you will not get Covid-19 - but the economy falls apart. This is what is happening right now. 

If you get Covid-19 the vast majority of people in good health and who are under 70 have no lasting ill effects and the symptoms for the majority do not cause too much discomfort. Some do have long-Covid and some (thankfully very few die). Those with underlying health issues and  those over 70 are more likely to suffer complications and/or die. 

So I am coming round to the thinking that would not the best solution be to let business etc carry on as normal and put special measures, both preventative and financial, to protect those at risk? In multi-generational households those normally at work are paid not to work and stay at home so that those at risk are protected. It would be mandatory to wear face masks properly and observe social distancing when out and about. If those at risk decide that they would rather go out and about and take the risk of an early death that should be up to them not the state. Right now we seem to be taking the worst course of action with no end in sight.

I am one of the lucky ones, I have a pension, house paid for and a large garden so I am "All right Jack". For those renting/with a mortgage and have just lost your job life is hell to put it mildly. If things were opened up the consequential effects of the lockdown would dissipate. The vulnerable would have to take steps to protect themselves and shield themselves from those going out and about. They are at liberty not to do this.

I will end on the happy thought that no matter what we do we will, one day, end up in a graveyard!

Are we there yet Mr Johnson?

 I wrote the following on the 9th April this year and I wonder how much has really changed - until there is a vaccine CV-19 will still be around killing people. The major difference is that thousands of people have lost jobs and more still are less well off than they were. A few will have made 'loadsamoney'!

Covid-19 - The story so far!

I am writing this more in an effort to clear my thinking on this rather than to make any points. I would welcome comments as to whether I have got things right.

1. Covid-19 is a virus that mainly seems to attack the respiratory system.

2. There is no cure as such. All the medics can do is to treat the symptoms (often with oxygen or mechanical ventilators to help breathing) until either the auto-immune system overcomes the virus or the patient dies.

3. The elderly or those with underlying medical problems are particularly vulnerable as the body's defence systems are in a weakened state.

4. The strategy for dealing with the virus is to try to limit the rate of spread of the virus so that the medical services are not overwhelmed with patients needing critical care.

5. This strategy will not affect the total numbers getting the virus, just the timing as to when they get it. The total number dying form the virus should reduce as the medical services will be treating the same number of people, but over a longer time period, so they will be able to give each individual patient better care rather than being swamped.

6. There will be increased numbers dying from what might be termed "indirect effects". That is routine operations are postponed so someone due to have, for example, a "routine heart bypass" dies from not having the bypass rather than dying from Covid-19 itself.

7. Dedicated teams of researchers are desperately trying to work on both a cure for the virus and for a vaccination that prevents the virus taking effect in the body.

8. If everybody, and I mean everybody, stayed at home for three weeks then the virus would die out as it would not be transmitted. This would however result in widespread numbers of deaths with many people dying at home - no power, no food, no carers etc etc - NOT very practical.

9. When the current lockdown is ended, the virus will still be attacking people, so the elderly and vulnerable will still need to take extra care and be vigilant.

10. Our (UK) governments initial strategy seemed to be let people get the virus. Some will die but it will be over and done with in a short space of time.

11. We have now moved to a strategy of flattening the curve.

12. Currently there is no exit strategy.

13 We should pray that the researchers soon find a cure.

Consent of the People

My daughter and son-in-law run a catering company. I have suggested that they start a cookery school and use our house as their educational establishment. I am going on the “How to open a bottle of wine course”. I would like a dozen or so friends to join me!

I can see that there will be mass disobedience if this new "rule of six" is not changed PDQ. I will be making plans and ignoring it. I am coming round to the viewpoint that life is for living. I don't mind wearing a face mask whilst out in shops on public transport etc. Yes large gatherings at raves, sporting events etc are potential "hotspots" for virus transmission. But to say that immediate family shouldn't meet is taking things too far. As The Declaration of Independence says, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The UK government is about to lose that consent.

It needn't have been this way but the rot started when government ministers - Robert Jenrick and advisors- Cummings flouted the rules and were defended for doing so. Even staunch Johnson fans that I have met are telling me that he is the worst Prime Minister in their living memory - which is 80+ years. Now we have the government saying that it will unilaterally changing international agreements that it freely entered into. If the government can break the law then so can the people.

I really do fear for the country