Rationing

WHAT I have seen and heard recently of people buying vast amounts of essential items at the shops is frankly disgusting.

Decisive action needs to be taken to put a stop to it by limiting the amount we all can buy of certain items. In that way all of us will have more than enough to go round.

And supermarkets should have looked after their regular online shoppers from the start who by and large are unable to physically get to the shops for various reasons.

In my opinion, rationing needs to be introduced like during the war on certain items.

Malcolm Stephenson, Thornaby

Tourism help

THIS is an open letter that we have sent to the Yorkshire and Humber MPs.

The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented health and economic crisis.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, we have been inundated with calls for help from those running visitor attractions and destinations.

As you know from your constituents who run these businesses, many have not yet recovered from the recent floods that decimated many parts of our region. We fear this pandemic will cause many of our tourism businesses to close their doors for good.

The measures announced by the Chancellor this week are far reaching and will be welcomed by many. But there is a sense from our members that urgent action is required now. The Prime Minister’s press conference on the March 16 effectively put the ‘closed’ sign on so many organisations that rely exclusively on tourists and visitors for their income.

We fully appreciate the pressure you are under, dealing with your caseloads and calls for help during this crisis. Without wishing to add to that burden, we are asking that you make representation to Government, specifically calling for a package of targeted support measures for businesses in the tourism, hospitality and allied industries.

Tourism is now worth £9bn to this region’s economy. We can’t afford to lose that.

Peter Box, chair, and James Mason, chief executive, Welcome to Yorkshire, Leeds

Loo roll search

WHO’D have thought that the most sought after items in 2020 would be rolls of toilet paper?

Locating loo rolls is becoming a full-time job with folk trekking to the top of town and right to the bottom!

Tesco is usually good for stock as their cushion soft deluxe brands have never previously sold out here in Redcar as us locals do not like to flush good money down the drain.

But even Tesco’s stock has been wiped out.

For the desperate, log onto the internet - £15 for a pack of 9.

And for the very desperate, search Google for ideas of what folk used before the mass manufacturing of toilet paper: leaves, ferns, corn cobs, fruit skins, moss - even shells!

Redcar beach here I come.

Stephen Dixon, Redcar

Chinese markets

I DON’T want to ask your readers to sign yet another petition but the ones online at places like change.org or rainforestrescue.org to ban Chinese wild animal markets are very important.

These markets are a real threat to all living creatures, including ourselves.

I am classed as a “vulnerable” person in this ongoing pandemic, but I still wouldn’t like to think the world has lost its fight to survive, even though I won’t live to see it. Some hope would be nice but, at the moment, the world isn’t listening.

These petitions are a ray of hope when it matters.

If people remember what was blamed for causing this virus in the first place, they would be pleased to support any move to help prevent more suffering.

Marjorie Embling, Crook

Food bank

THIEVES have exploited the coronavirus crisis and raided a food bank in Knottingley, West Yorkshire.

The food bank’s manager believes the items were stolen (including toilet rolls and sanitary products) in order to resell and exploit the recent hysteria of stockpiling caused by the coronavirus.

To make matters worse, buying restrictions caused by people stockpiling and reduced donations to food banks mean that the food bank couldn’t replace the items stolen and has now closed!

This is clearly disastrous for many already in desperate need.

Such a raid is a wakeup call as to where the hysteria behind the stockpiling has led. If the hysteria continues, we can expect more such raids.

Times like these mean we have to pull together and help each other as best we can. People near Knottingley need to donate so that food bank can be reopened.

Elsewhere people need to buy only what they need and restart donating toiletries, food items, etc to keep their local food banks going.

We must also take aware the reason for such raids!

CT Riley, Spennymoor

Funeral risk

I AM now approaching age 77 and have been to five funerals in 2020. All were at Durham Crematorium at South Road and we stood packed like sardines for all of them.

There is more hand shaking and cuddling at funerals than any other event and most mourners are getting on a bit.

After the ceremony we have the wake where we all embrace and share our grief. It would be so sad if our final tributes to loved ones were to be curtailed in the name of coronavirus but most of the mourners are in the at risk bracket.

Malcolm Rolling, Carrville, Durham