THIS week the Arcadia group has entered administration putting 13,000 jobs at risk, and in doing so it has dragged down Debenhams with it, meaning that that a further 12,000 people stand to lose their jobs (Echo, Dec 2).

Both businesses would have been in difficulty even if there was no pandemic, but this demonstrates that the pandemic and the market economy cannot co-exist.

The necessary measures taken to restrict the spread of Covid-19 which protect both the vulnerable and health care workers mean that there shall certainly be many more business failures, large and small.

The Government made a big mistake when it eased lockdown earlier this year with the intention of boosting the economy. The same mistake was repeated in many other nations in the world, with catastrophic consequences in these nations, including ourselves.

There is only one way to tackle this pandemic, and that is to completely sacrifice the economy.

The only way to impose the restrictions which are necessary and stop widespread business failure is to not have a market economy.

Many Conservative MPs are demanding that their constituencies are dropped to a lower tier to protect their economies, but that is totally irresponsible.

All businesses in this pandemic need to belong to the state so that they cannot fail. That way, they can be left closed whenever it is unsuitable for them to open.

Boris Johnson is asking for a big rise in infection cases by easing lockdown over Christmas. Some friends of mine have decided to cancel Christmas this year, because in this pandemic they believe that is the right thing to do.

We also need a minister of innovation and good ideas so that we can do things safely that the pandemic otherwise means we cannot do.

The restaurant in the Netherlands where everyone dined outside in greenhouses, demonstrates the kind of thinking that we need.

Jeremy Whiting, Great Lumley, Chester-le-Street.