Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 25 March

Cautious optimism today, at least according the media. Spain has been the worst hit, overtaking China and Italy where there has been a slight fall in the daily number of infections and deaths. Bad or worrying news still dominates with, at the top of the list, the plight of NHS staff, the "frontline" workers who are complaining of the lack of protective equipment and adequate virus testing. Doctors and nurses are particularly vulnerable, and they fear that, unless more protection is provided, they might follow Italy, where many health workers have died. 

The government's latest restrictions seem to be working, with people confined to the home starting to adapt to their new lifestyle. Britain seems to be catching the wartime mood of pulling together. Hundreds of thousands of people have responded to the government's appeal for volunteers to help the vulnerable. After hasty safety screening they will be a lifeline to the elderly, delivering food and trying to ensure their safety. This evening, the whole country is following up the simple idea of everyone at the same time clapping and applauding the "heroes" in the health service, chiefs to the cleaners. 

Wetherspoon has not won any friends. Photo: PA

There are more reports of companies, large and small, keeping on their employees and offering services free. Others, shamefully and deliberately, are cruelly getting rid of their workers, relying on the government scheme to pay them temporarily 80% of their wages. Among the worst examples are a public house chain, which has closed its hundreds of pubs, letting go more than 60,000 staff on unpaid leave. The biggest popular clothing company in the country, owned by a group with billions, has done the same.

Ridiculous and dangerous

The royal family has not escaped the virus. Prince Charles has been infected and is, like millions, working from home. The Queen has left London and Buckingham Palace for Windsor Castle. In the USA, President Trump is making more ridiculous and dangerous announcements, this time insisting that life would start getting back to normal by Easter, just two weeks away. He is looking more concerned about the pandemic's effect on his re-election chances than the plight and lives of his people.

No change at Sunrise. At the monthly residents' meeting the only complaint was about the food. The sun is shining again today, and the clocks go forward this weekend… spring. 

Ventura will have to wait

I was looking forward to a cruise starting next month, carrying on the habit Rosemary and I have enjoyed many times over the past 20 years. Having improved over the past few months and feeling much fitter than for years, I was determined to have a break but first I had to clear three hurdles: the doctor's permission; renewing my travel insurance; and getting a new passport. All of which I did, in less than a week, thanks to Robert and the internet. My new passport has arrived. So, off to the Canaries in three weeks time? No, the Ventura, like cruise ships around the world, is going nowhere, possibly for months. There have been horrendous stories of giant cruise liners being caught up in the pandemic, leaving thousands of passengers trapped in their cabins in ports in Japan and America, eventually to be flown home, some dying. I hope and expect to cruise another day. Optimism reigns.