© Getty images / Matthew HorwoodAn elderly man pushes a mobility walker in front of a closed down shop in Cardiff City centre on March 17, 2020 in Cardiff, Wales.
Covid-19 is a disease that is disproportionately dangerous to older people and those with serious underlying health conditions. The most frightening figures from the overall death toll attributable to the disease arise where health services are overwhelmed and cannot cope with large numbers of elderly people who have contracted it. In short, the lockdowns that we are seeing around the world should be largely justified by saving the lives of older people.
The trouble is that stories are also emerging which suggest that older people are not being protected anywhere near as well as we might expect. This first became apparent in Italy. Even as early as mid-March, there were reports that Piedmont had put in place guidelines to refuse intensive care for the over-80s if resources became too stretched.
Comment: Illegal leaf blowing, no ball playing in parks, scary sounds borrowed from scary movies to keep people in line?! Bizarre indeed!
Don't ask what's next.