Coronavirus diary, Sunday 28 February 2021

Getting children back to school and make up lost time is one of the most important tasks for the coronavirus exit plan.

Extra money is being found from the Chancellor - the Bank of England’s deep pockets - with £1.2 billion for England.

Holiday time will not be all fun and games for many students; summer schools are planned and paid for, but there is concern that the take-up may be disappointing.

Boris Johnson has been the boldest of the four national leaders, deciding that all schools should open on March 8.

Welsh First Secretary Mark Drakeford has a step-by-step approach. Some of the youngest children are already in their classes and older ones will start later. The oldest secondary school group may go part time.

A major development is the decision by all four countries to do away with exams this year and let teachers decide.

There was immediate uproar for what is seen, in rugby terms, as a ‘hospital pass’.

Gavin Williamson, England’s beleaguered Education Secretary, who has not lived down last year’s shambles of grades by algorithm, must be pleased to have made the pass.

The fear is that the plan will degrade the traditional exam system and create chaos for universities.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 27 February 2021

After the country’s massive spending spree comes the reckoning - the Chancellor’s budget.

Mr Sunak is going to tell us next week how we are going to make up the £400 billion of our money he has spent and how long that might take.

The figures are astronomical, beyond my comprehension.

Money matters to everyone, to the billionaire and the busker, and we have to deal with it from an early age.

My first income was my weekly halfpenny pocket money 

It did not burn a hole in my pocket. It was gone in a flash, on sweets - a sherbet fountain. liquorice or long lasting gob stopper.

I was certainly not a deprived youngster. Mum and Dad had little money to spare but there were treats, including the weekly ‘sit down’ ice creams in Lyons cafe in Clapham Junction.

My ‘pay’ gradually increased to sixpence which presented a problem. What should I splash out on. Should I save some of it?

Unlike many youngsters I did not do a paper round or sell cigarette cards to school mates. Perhaps if I had I might have become an entrepreneur or tycoon.

In my long working career one highlight was reaching £1,000 a year, and the most exciting times were seeng cheques arrive when I was  a freelance reporter. One murder story I sold to news agencies and several national papers paid for a holiday with Rosemary and our baby daughter, Beverley.

Over the years, especially after I retired, much of our spare money went on holidays, usually three or four a year, in Britain and exploring the world.

Fortunately, we put some money aside, money that I now need to be able to live in comfort, and be cared for.

Many people are not so fortunate, struggling to make ends meet. Millions have lost their jobs through the pandemic.

The Chancellor is no magician. Like former PM Theresa May, he knows there is no money tree. but those billions have to come from somewhere. Suggestions pour in.

Increase taxes, some cry; encourage people to spend to raise more in tax, others advise.

One hoard of cash that might help - the billions saved by people locked at home for months, unable to spend on entertainment holidays and eating out.

One idea, suggested by Sir Keir Starmer and others, is government bonds. I remember those from war time. My parents had a few as did my grandmother. I found two more than 60 years ago. Forgotten treasure, and not redeemable by then.

I hope Mr Sunak finds the answer, but that he does not expect me to find more money for him.

Coronavirus diary, Friday 26 February 2021

What did you do in the coronavirus ‘war’, Daddy?

That is a question today’s parents will be asked by their young children in the years ahead.

What will be response be?

I don’t know, but  if I were parent in 2050 my account of life in 2020 would seem to be be a tall story, almost unbelievable.

How ordinary life changed dramatically, all over the world, to be filled with uncertainty, fear, disruption and millions of deaths - in the USA more than in any of its wars.

I would tell of being stuck at home for months on end, of police in the streets stopping and fining you if you dared step outside.

How we all relied on television, radio and the internet for entertainment with non-stop keep fit and cookery lessons.

How my grandchildren and great grandchildren could not go to school or out to play and had to try to make up for a year‘s education by television, on laptops and parents giving them lessons.

I would tell them that our usual holidays, from camping to cruises and adventurous trips overseas, were impossible for nearly two years.

I would explain how scientists at Oxford University and in other countries took months, not years, to develop new vaccines and how countless millions of doses were manufactured, suddenly bringing hope of winning the battle against coronavirus.

And, most of all, I would praise the doctors, nurses and the NHS for working bravely and tirelessly to save lives and how we all showed our pride and gratitude by public clapping demonstrations.

And my story will, I hope, convince future generations of my family how fortunate they are to have missed all this, to be able to enjoy their freedom and make their own way of life.

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 25 February 2021

Vaccination is the key to the promised return to normal life.

Its success will allow people to get together, around the world, to take up again their former lifestyle without disruption or fear.

Britain is leading the way, with almost 18 million vaccinated and the promise of everyone over fifty having theirs by April. 

It needs the same success internationally and that could take more time judging by the slower progress being made by some countries, including those in Europe.

Britain is magnanimous and sensible in offering any spare supplies to other needy countries.

Another important factor in the recovery is the vaccination take-up. Estimates vary but it needs a substantial majority if safety is to be achieved. 

To date in Britain, 20 percent of the population have said no, for various reasons, including religion and some parents’ anxiety over the possible effects on their children, 

To try to solve this, the government is mounting an expensive persuasion campaign.

Vaccination is also the key to open up international travel for business and pleasure. 

Countries are trying to evolve workable systems to make it safe by proof of vaccination.

With 40 percent of people still working from home, bosses are considering how to make employees prove they have had their jabs.

Ideas include phone apps and certificates but there are complications, including concern about possible loss of personal liberty.

The world is striving to make vaccination the road to recovery and reality after the incredible coronavirus era.

With freedom the tantalising prize, there could not be a more powerful incentive.

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 24 February 2021

Small businesses have suffered drastically in the pandemic but there have been many stories of how determination and innovation have led to unexpected success.

I am proud that one involves my own family.

My niece Wendy, a teacher, wanted to encourage young children to learn French so she set up Club Bonjour - ‘Learn French the Fun’.

For 13 years she held weekly classes in primary and nursery schools in Chepstow and Monmouth but last March coronavirus meant au revoir to Club Bonjour.

But Wendy had another interest.  

Wendy at work

With Gerri, her sister-in-law, she started  making sweets and chocolate trees at home, selling them at Christmas and craft fairs. They sold like hot cakes so she decided a shop was the answer.

Chateau Bonbon opened its doors in St Mary’s Arcade in Chepstow and business was going from strength to strength until coronavirus struck. 

But it has not been the disaster that has ruined so many flourishing small business.

Wendy is busier than ever. ‘My customers have been incredibly loyal and supportive’, she says. So much so that, apart from sweets delivery service she has started click and collect from her shop.

She wonders whether she might have to give up Club Bonjour but the success of her Chateau Bonbon business makes it doubtful for entrepreneur Wendy.

Like millions of people, some of my family work successfully from home. Robert has found keeping in touch with colleagues around the world surprisingly easy, better in some ways than having to commute from Buckinghamshire to Surrey.

Ria, my younger grand daughter, a self employed accountant, and partner Gyles, a musician and composer, are managing to look after their three children while working from home.

My other grand daughter, Siân, who for many years worked at home in the family firm, now commutes to her job with a transport company in Wiltshire.

Coronavirus has not stopped the Taylors, Skinners and Wildeboers from their careers.

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 23 February 2021

The Prime Minister’s promised road map turns out to be more like a route out of the coronavirus maze itself, very complicated.

Starting next week it sets out a month by month, step by step guide until people in England can walk free.

The magical date is June 21, four months away.

But, as with almost every announcement Mr Johnson has made throughout the pandemic, there are ifs and buts. 

They include tests that the vaccination programme continues successfully, there is no surge in hospital admissions and no increase in risk from variant viruses.

Mr Johnson, by turns eloquently cheerful - ‘the crocus of hope poking through is proof that spring is on the way’, and sombre, warning that ‘people would have to get used to living with coronavirus as with flu,’ emphasises his overriding theme, caution.

He does not want to go backwards, to reintroduce restrictions.

There has been a mixed response to his plan. 

The main criticism is that the path to freedom is taking too long, worsening the plight of millions of people - unemployment in England - five percent, the highest for five years.

The first ministers of the devolved countries are due to announce their get-out plans.

Mark Drakeford says the people in Wales should be able to go out from home in three weeks time.

The path out of the coronavirus maze is indeed tortuous.

Coronavirus diary, Monday 22 February 2021

Coronavirus has changed our lives in many ways, some fundamentally, and some in habits practised for centuries around the world. One is personal greetings.

Close contact is now taboo, killed by fear of infection, and replaced by safer rituals.

Like the UK, many countries have had to give up their traditional greetings.

No more nose bumping, favoured in the Middle East, and definitely no ‘tongueing’ by monks in Tibet.

So, too, fortunately, is sticking out tongues, an unseemly practice of monks centuries ago. It was their way of demonstrating that they came in peace and were not a reincarnation of the hated King Darma, known for his black tongue.

We now have the ugly and, I think rather ridiculous, ‘elbow bump’, used ostentatiously by our Prime Minister and Health Secretary for England Matt Hancock.

One of the most widespread customs was the ‘air kiss’, practised in Europe, the United States and Latin America, Canada and even Russia - two or three gentle kisses on alternate cheeks, taken up in recent years in Britain. We had our bone crunching handshakes. 

There are different versions of hand shaking with back of the hand contact for wet or dirty hands. 

Other countries are fortunate in being able to carry on as normal with their ‘pleased to meet you’ habits.

Japan has its solemn bows and an etiquette that the lower the bow the greater the respect. Then there’s forehead touching, hand on heart, eyebrows raising

Most dangerous these days is kissing.

So many changes forced by coronavirus.

Will the world greet freedom by going back to their way of greeting and meeting?

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 21 February 2021

I have had a range of illnesses during my life which I have survived. I am no hypochondriac, but I am rather concerned about my symptoms after surviving coronavirus last year.These include five that match those described the British Medical Association’s list of 12.

I have long since given up worrying about possible after effects from medication. One of mine runs to two pages, too many to count but this time I am taking note.

It is now three months since I came home from hospital and I have certainly improved, steadily but slowly.The most annoying of my list is constant tiredness, aching limbs and breathlessness. On some days I have difficulty, even with my walking aid, to get about  the Sunrise building.

The BMA estimates that 340,000 coronavirus sufferers are feeling effects for weeks or months, perhaps even longer.

A group of MPs and peers are urging the government to recognise long COVID as an occupational disease and compensate workers  like some other European countries.

The Prime Minister says he is providing £1.8 billion towards the four studies now being carried out.

Grateful that I am home and carrying on my life, I will just grin and bear what I hope will be short term COVID.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 20 February 2021

The scramble to find and buy huge quantities of PPE - personal protective equipment - last year led to the government awarding multi-million pound contracts.

It was accused of wasting public money by ignoring its own rules and using some companies with no experience and who had never before worked for the government.

It has been ruled illegal by a High Court judge who criticised Matt Hancock, England’s Health Secretary.

The case was brought by the Good Law Project, a not for profit organisation, which gave details of how much the government spent on contracts given to different companies, not publishing details of them within the time limit.

They included £155,000 to a finance firm and £345 million to a pest control company for a total of nearly 60 million masks that proved unusable.

Ruling the Secretary of State’s action illegal, Mr Justice Chamberlain said there had been an historic failure to comply with the contract regulations.

He rejected the Secretary of State’s ‘excuse’ of  special circumstances at the time and the urgency of  obtaining PPE.

He said  the public were ‘entitled  to see ‘who this money was given to, what it was spent on and how the contracts were awarded’.

The contracts awarded were ‘plagued by lack of transparency, cronyism and waste’, he declared.

Coronavirus diary, Friday 19 February 2021

The Prime Minister, pondering on the way ahead and his promised ‘road plan’ to a better life, is at a crossroads.

And it is a dangerous one for the country and for himself. Go the wrong way and he will be condemned if many more lives are lost; choose the right road and he will be applauded by a grateful nation.

His choice has been made more difficult by better news, the decline in coronavirus cases.

The latest study from Imperial College London says that infection rates in England are down by two-thirds, and 80% in London, although it varies across some parts of the country.

There are a third fewer in hospital compared with a month ago but the 738 deaths in one day this week is still high.

Wales has suffered a setback with 467 deaths in a week, 13 more than the previous one, with north Wales the worst affected.

First Minister Mark Drakeford will also have a dilemma when he has to decide next week whether to continue the strict rules now in force.

Conflicting evidence for Mr Johnson who has reacted by continuing his more cautious approach, playing safe.

He is not going to be specific on the date he will start to ease restriction restrictions so we can start to enjoy life. His way forward will be dictated by data, not dates, he says succinctly. He will only move on when he is confident that it is safe to do so.

His view is not accepted by many, including a substantial number of his own MPs, who are urging him to be bold and cut the bounds that are suffocating the nation, crippling the economy.

The first ministers of Scotland and Northern Ireland are, like the PM and Welsh first minister, anxious not to undo the good work of the past difficult months. Better be sure than sorry.

As with everything connected with this pandemic, the future is clouded with uncertainty. Sunny days lie ahead, but when will those clouds disappear? Which is the right road?

No one envies Mr Johnson as he approaches those crossroads.

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 18 February 2021

Not unexpectedly, the hotel quarantine system for travellers from high risk countries is having teething problems.

The rules apply to arrivals at four airports, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and Birmingham.

According to Heathrow’s chief, those passengers are not being separated and are mingling with others before going off to  spend ten days in government provided, security-guarded hotels. He also said there were not enough hotels for the numbers arriving.

At Birmingham airport four arrivals have each been fined £10,000 for lying about where they had come from.

With countries introducing their own quarantine rules and with different red listed destinations - the UK has over 30 -  there should be co-operation and co-ordination to make it simpler and safer.

Scotland’s rules are different from England’s and there are no international flights from Cardiff airport.

There should also be uniformity when holiday travel is allowed again; including perhaps certificates proving vaccination or other means of minimising the spread of the virus, now being considered.

Those thinking of going abroad on holiday this summer face an adventure or an ideal.

I am not even thinking about it.

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 17 February 2021

Watching the Six Nations rugby championship at the weekend was exciting, but a strange, disappointing, experience compared with past thrills.

The way we were: Wales v France, February 2020

I enjoyed the fight to the final whistle in each game but missed the roar of the crowd, the exuberance of the spectators, young and old, men and women, with their ever more imaginative emblems - some at the Cardiff stadium with faces framed with giant daffodils. 

Wales v Italy, March 2016

What a disappointment for the quarter of a million or so who would have been in Cardiff, Dublin and Twickenham.

Instead we had to watch on television, the stadiums deserted except for the players, officials and support teams.

No atmosphere, no din. 

It was not only going to the game that I missed, but the anticipation, the hours before kick off when I would be enjoying lavish hospitality.

It was probably the same in all the countries with pre match receptions.

In Cardiff, at BBC Wales headquarters in Llandaff, I would mingle with rugby greats, reliving past glories while enjoying a glass, or more of bubbly.

One of the most sought after pre match celebrations was at the Wales Gas Board headquarters. Chairman Mervyn Jones’s receptions at their headquarters were legendary. 

There must have been dozens by other organisations and businesses. Most  guests would then go off to the match while I usually went home to watch on television.

Those were the days. They will be back, perhaps for the autumn international matches.

I can’t wait. 

Coronavirus diary, Monday 15 February 2021

Fifteen million people vaccinated. Target hit, promise fulfilled. No wonder the Prime Minister and Health Secretary are beaming 

It is a rare, and deserved achievement, which has encouraged us to believe that the ‘good old days’ may be on their way. We must - and can afford to be - patient. 

The nationwide vaccination project, the biggest of its kind, is a triumph of organisation and innovation.

It is an example of the NHS at its best. The organisation in all four countries involves a complex system using national and local resources. 

Centres are each carrying out thousands of vaccination a day with hospital ‘hubs’ and a range of other venues adding to the nonstop flow. 

Most venues are within easy reach of people’s homes throughout the country  - all within ten miles. There is even a ‘home delivery’ service, and some people have just had to hop on a bus for their jab. 

GP’s and pharmacists are among the hastily recruited army with thousands of NHS recruited volunteers.

And all this has been achieved in two months. 

Britain is justified in announcing, not boasting, that in this critical stage of the pandemic, we are leading the world.

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 14 February 2021

Fifty years ago Britain switched currency. Pounds, shillings and pence gave way to the decimal age, a boon to everyone. At first it was met with suspicion. it was different and therefore difficult, and with a new penny worth more than double the trusted old one, life would be more expensive. I doubt if anyone now would like to go back to the old currency, and I was relieved when Britain decided not to adopt the euro 20 years ago. It would have had advantages, though. I remember when all the countries in the EU had their own currency. A meandering holiday drive to Austria with my family involved six different currencies, and with a maximum of £50 worth for each one, it was a nightmare.

What a difference for me today. I don't have to handle cash. In Sunrise, and probably all care home, we don't need any as, like cruises,  it is a cash free society. All our living costs are covered by the fee - expensive but good value - and other expenditure, including hairdressing and pedicure, are put on our account. 

I have not been able to go shopping for many months and the only cash I keep is for pocket money for my grandchildren when they visit me - the last time was ten months ago. I am quite looking forward to having my wallet and cash in my pocket again.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 13 February 2021

The darkest clouds over Britain cast by coronavirus appear to be lifting. The number of cases is falling, hospitals, while still treating nearly 25,000,  are less stressed and the success of the vaccination programme - almost 15 million have had their first dose - is contributing to greater confidence. 

The Office for National Statistics report that infection levels in all four countries are falling. Wales has good reason to be cheerful, Its vaccination record - 640,000 including everyone in the top four priorities and 140,000 care homes residents, is the best in the UK. First Minister Mark Drakeford has thanked the NHS staff and the thousands of volunteers for their ‘phenomenal' efforts. At local lever, Sunrise Cardiff, there is the heartening news that with 100% positive testing of residents and staff we can at last have visitors. Wisely, considering past disappointments, all the governments are reminding us that we must not relax or the sun won't break through the clouds. 

Coronavirus diary, Friday 12 February 2021

Looking ahead to when we will be able to visit our favourite holiday destinations, probably not this summer, I foresee a flood of bookings. 

Staycationing, a good alternative, will continue to grow, giving a long awaited boon for the harassed hospitality industry, but the lure of certain hot sunshine around the world will be iresistible.

The industry will literally fly back into life, with fleets of mothballed planes taking to the sky again.

The major aviation companies will within a year or so be earning billions of pounds in profits again, making up for lost time.

Hotels throughout the world will welcome us with open arms.

British travel agents will be busier than ever; they need to be to recoup their loss of staff and money.

Britain has a lot to make up. Visit Britain says inbound tourism visits last year were down by 76% to 9.7 million.

Britain will be facing strong international competition to entice visitors to return.

My involvement in promoting  travel to Wales and Britain included work for  the Wales Tourist Board, the city and county of  Cardiff and Cardiff airport, where I was information and marketing officer for ten years,. 

BACT, the British Association of  Conference Towns carried out international promotions for 70 British resorts.

I was at two international conferences for them, Phoenix and Boston, USA: lavish affairs with more than 6,000 delegates. The host cities spent a fortune on hospitality. They knew it was money well spent as conference guests spend far more than holiday makers.

Flying the flag

I was also a member of EUTO, the European Union of Tourist Officers. Although competitors, we worked together, regularly promoting tourism. Cardiff hosted one of  our annual conferences.

Europe was years ahead of us. Blackpool and Brighton were among the leading British resorts with large tourist staffs but we had to catch up. That involved stands at tourism fairs including the biggest in Europe, Berlin, with 18 show halls. I also took part in ‘British Week’ in cities in Canada and Wales.

In Wales more than 18,000 worked in hospitality, with many of those jobs put at risk by the pandemic. 

So there is a lot to make up, but I am sure millions in Britain and in pandemic stricken countries of the world have not lost their thirst for travelling for business and pleasure,

Better days are ahead for them and for us.

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 11 February 2021

'Welcome to England!’

And what a welcome, if you want to, or have to, come from over 30 high risk, red listed countries.

In its latest move to keep out visitors and the virus, whatever the variant, the government has announced draconian rules. Quite a rIgmarole. 

Before you depart you will have to prove you are infection free. Forget to fill in the form and that’s a £1,000 fine.

Inflight, complete a questionnaire. On landing go straight to jail - no, to your hotel, booked for you by the government.

No concierge to greet you, probably the security guards who will watch over you for your 10 day stay. No sightseeing. You will have to stay in your room. No room service - three meals a day. Trays left outside your door. No housekeeping; do it yourself. After two days you will pay for a test, a second one on day eight. 

Test positive and you have another ten days. Miss them and £2,000 will be added to your bill, although you will then enjoy another four restful days.

When, safe, you complete your stay/sentence you will check out and get your bill - £1,750. 

Make sure you get it right and pay up. Failure could send you to another safe haven  - one of Her Majesty’s 117 prisons. 

The good news is won’t be charged there. The government will pay, at the average cost per resident, £43,000 a year. 

If you think you might escape quarantine by giving false information, think again; you could end up in gaol for up to 10 years.

Welcome to England!

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 10 February 2021

The government has been, justifiably, pleased with being first-in-the field in securing supplies of varied vaccines and in administering 11 million doses already.

But they have less to be proud of in the way they have handled huge contracts for the supply of PPE - personal protection equipment. 

Since the early days of the pandemic there has been a string of complaints of botched contracts resulting in goods supplied that proved useless, losing many millions of pounds.

The latest is an allegation that a £122 million contract was given, without the normal procedure, to a newly set up firm with no experience, for 50 million medical gowns that were unusable.

NHS Providers, which overseas supplies, told the government watchdog committee that supplies of gowns had been ‘the most pertinent problem’ over several months.

Earlier in the pandemic it was mask and containers found to be unusable, lying in containers in Felixstowe port.

The companies that supplied the equipment have all insisted that they had met the agreed terms of the contract.

The government should by now have learned to take more care with public money even in emergencies.

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 9 February 2021

I had.a trip out today. The first for two months. In a taxi. It was bitterly cold - two degrees and threatening to snow. I was muffled up in overcoat, hat and scarf but it was still an adventure. There were people out there, lots of them, far more than I expected in lockdown and the roads were busy. Someone is keeping Wales going,

It took less than ten minutes before we drove into the, to me, familiar hospital grounds. In some ways, too familiar. 

The official opening brochure, WHRI, February 1999

All but a few of those were happy occasions. One was a reception to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Sir Geraint Evans Wales Heart Research Institute. The handsome building is as impressive as it is important in the world of medicine.

I was pleased to be there among the heart specialists and my former colleagues, members of the eponymously named charity that raised millions to build and fit out the institute.

Sir Geraint did not live to see his dream come true but Lady Brenda was there and she gave a short, moving speech.

Another memorable visit was to the Noah’s Ark children’s hospital, another result of years of fundraising

One of my Penarth neighbours, Eddie Rabaiotti, a well known restaurant owner and member of the Variety Club of Great Britain, one of its tireless members. They were forerunners of the one man ‘charity’, Captain Sir Tom Moore.

My other visits, dozens of them over the years, were usually more worrying affairs, appointments in clinics, often taking what seemed like hours to get into the disabled parking. My latest visit was four months ago, when I spent three weeks there recovering from coronavirus.

The saddest day was two years ago when my son and I were called from home to hear that Rosemary, my wife, had died. 

Hospitals and the men and women who work in them are a key element in our lives. Invaluable, usually life saving, but hospitals are best avoided if possible.

The huge, sprawling, Heath hospital - officially the University Hospital of Wales - is fifty years old this year. 

I remember the opening in November 1971.  I was working for the Cardiff city council and was involved in the arrangements. 

A neighbour of my family in Penarth, William Jeffcott, the hospital board chairman, welcomed the Queen who performed the official opening. To mark the day, my son Robert, then aged eight, had a school trip by bus to see the hospital and travel on Eastern Avenue, opened the same day. 

The 1,000 bed hospital, the first in Britain to include a medical and dental school, still has some years to run but a new hospital is planned to replace it.

As the taxi brought me back to my new home I realised how grateful we are for those who look after our health all our lives and are now busier than ever, due to coronavirus.

Coronavirus diary, Monday 8 February 2021

Nothing is ever straightforward with coronavirus. Just as we were celebrating the successful start of the vaccine programme we hear that our Oxford one has only a limited effect on the latest, South African variant.

We are being reassured by the government that all that is needed is a ‘tweak’ that by the autumn will resolve the problem. 

We hope so as the new South African virus has already been detected in over a hundred people in England already and house-to-house checks are being made to lessen its impact.

One possible solution to the problem of imported new variants could be the tightening of travel restrictions. New rules coming into force this week mean that travellers to Britain from a long list of countries will have to spend ten days at their own expense- estimated at £1,500 to £2,000 - in security guarded government run hotels. The system is already working in some countries.

London hotel chiefs have complained that were not consulted and that they have been given too little time to work on it. 

Other ideas, already introduced, include strict pre travel health checks. 

With the lockdowns, international travel is limited, but 120,000 are still arriving in Britain every day, posing a serious threat. Easing the rules could start a flood.

What a difference in a year. This time last year, the aviation industry was flying high, whole fleets of new aircraft were on order, most airlines were making profits and the future looked rosy.

Bob on his way to Palma during the snows of January 1982

Flying anywhere in the world was a pleasure. I enjoyed it for many years, including a round the world in eighty days trip. My favourite flight was Cardiff to Palma Majorca, with a record time of one hour fifty minutes.

Sadly, I think flying days are over.

Coronavirus diary, Sunday 7 February 2021

May Day! May Day! The international distress signal, calling for rescue and safety. This year May Day may prove to be at least the start of the long awaited arrival of safety from coronavirus. 

That is if, as is being confidently predicted, all over 50 year old  women and men in Britain will have had their first vaccination.

This is the government’s aim - even Matt Hancock has wisely forgone promises, acknowledging that it depends on a regular supply of vaccine. It is also the confident view of the vaccination programme chiefs.

The Prime Minister, urged to announce when restrictions will be lifted, is more cautious now.

It is his advisers who are becoming, unusually, more upbeat.

He may give us an idea of his coronavirus ‘exit plan’ and possible time table before the end of this month but he will be adamant that it will depend on whether we have passed the peak.

Case numbers and the death toll are still high but the pressure on hospitals seems to be easing, which is a relief.

The decision to go ahead with local government elections in May is a good sign.

May Day is traditionally the prelude to summer sunshine and warmth. 

Something for all of us to look to forward to more than ever this year. Just what we all need.

Coronavirus diary, Saturday 6 February 2021

With weeks, months, cooped up at home, whether in a mansion or high rise flat, many people are bored, trying to find ways of spending the long hours, to relieve mind numbing restrictions and to find time consuming distractions

Reading and games, of course, but the main sanity saver has been television and radio, a 24 hour remedy, entertaining and educating us, encouraging us to keep fit and active.

Television (and its on-demand siblings iPlayer and Netflix) has brought ‘binge viewing’ of streamed drama with millions whiling away whole days.

One of the most popular and more beneficial pastimes are the keep fit and healthy programmes, with fitness trainers making a name and fortune keeping us puffing and perspiring, and feeling proud of ourselves. 

Then there are the ubiquitous food shows, a parade of chefs and the ubiquitous cookery competitions

Programme makers, stymied by safe distance rules, have ingeniously conjured up remotely controlled shows. Symphony orchestras have reappeared on air with plenty of air apace between the players. And travel programmes remind us there is an interesting world out there.

The BBC has excelled in its comprehensive education programmes, covering all groups and subjects for all ages a boon, especially to young people and their worried parents.

Pastimes to pass the time

How different it was in my early days and for my parents’ generation in war time. It was simple pastimes: games, arts and crafts, needlework for the women. (It's no coincidence that traditional crafts have boomed again during the pandemic.)

But we were not locked in our homes; we could at least escape outdoors, to the park, the cinema.

An exciting life compared to the grey today.

Coronavirus diary, Friday 5 February 2021

Over optimism is risky, as the pandemic’ ups and downs have taught us, but at least the latest news is encouraging.

It looks as though the delicate balance is moving in the right direction.

The keynote is vaccination and it is positive; in England, over 10.6 million in the top priority group have now had their first dose. 

Wales, which seemed to have been lagging, is credited with the fourth best result in the world, a solid achievement that heartens us.

And a range of statistics are telling a happier tale at the moment. Infection rates down, fewer deaths, although hospitals are still dealing with very high numbers of patients.

Medical chiefs think we may have passed reached the peak and that it might be downhill from now, even if it is a slow recovery. 

May is being suggested as the beginning of the end on many restrictions and the release of billions of pounds from people's pent up savings.

The Bank of England, in its latest review, is among the optimists, suggesting that the successful vaccination programme will see a faster improvement in the economy than we might have expected.

On the other side of the scales we are looking at a temporary rise in job losses, an unemployment rate possibly reaching 8.6%.

Chancellor Sunak is being urged to continue the £200 a week extra payment on universal credit, due to end soon, to avoid many thousands struggling to keep going and provide for their families.

Getting the balance right is vital.

Coronavirus diary, Thursday 4 February 2021

The arrival of virus variants has added a new twist, a new chapter to the coronavirus story.

It is as though a dangerous fugitive is changing his disguises to avoid capture.

It is serious enough to cast doubt about the much heralded vaccines, developed to subdue the original virus that first appeared in China more than a year ago.

The latest threat is the new strain that surfaced in South Africa and is now finding its way into other countries, including Britain where over 100 cases have been recorded.

To combat it, door-to-door testing is taking place in hundreds of thousands of households including London, south east England, and the south west.

The new virus variant is said to be more infectious than the original strain and, more worrying, less responsive to vaccines.

We have been reassured that the clutch of vaccines that have been developed are effective, ranging from sixty to ninety five percent and that that mutation in viruses is not unusual - there are many strains of flu, for example.

But the unwelcome newcomer is creating uncertainty, a permanent feature of the coronavirus saga.

Will it prolong the restrictions? Will our vaccination programme contain and eventually eliminate it along with other variants?

Scientists seem to think so, but they are being cautious.

Yet another twist - our familiar dreaded bug seems to have stopped the flu in its tracks. Wales has so far had the fewest cases for years and countries in north and south hemispheres have reported the same good news,

And it may have come about through the precautions we are taking, the safe distancing, the hand washing and the masks.

At least we have something to be grateful for as we battle against new respiratory diseases.

Coronavirus diary, Wednesday 3 February 2021

The death of Captain Sir Tom Moore is the latest in the long roll of victims of coronavirus - over 100,000 and still rising steeply.

And, like every one one of them, it is mourned, but much more widely. 

Messages from The Queen, the Prime Minister and from around the world, including the White House, were among the thousands of tributes paid to the gallant, modest soldier.

Captain Moore in India, 1942. Photo: The Tank Museum

Decorated in the war, Captain Moore, on the eve of his hundredth birthday, paraded alone in his garden to raise money for the NHS. His target was £1,000. The result: £33 million, adulation and a knighthood bestowed by the Queen.

Sir Tom was an inspiration to all of us, lifting our hearts during the darkest days. 

He will be remembered as one of the country’s heroes.

Coronavirus diary, Tuesday 2 February 2021

Times past - and to come

A year ago this month I drove my scooter out of Sunrise onto Cyncoed Road for my last shopping trip before lockdown.

I was in familiar territory, passing Winnipeg Drive, our family home for nearly 30 years, Robert’s junior school and the small parade of shops, so different now. Just three shops left. The bank, hardware store, estate agent and hairdresser all gone.

Life has changed at Lakeside as has mine. I have been thinking how it has happened and have been surprised how we have adapted to the almost total change.

Britain in many ways is a different country, with a radically changed style of government, elected but with never imagined, sweeping powers affecting almost every hour of our lives.

And there is almost total compliance. The dissenting voices are typically rebels who defy the new laws and reject vaccination. They see themselves as freedom fighters. 

Over the centuries, in every age, every country has seen them, resisting authority, wanting to have their own, unfettered lives.

War lords and dictators have been overcome by rebellion and their peoples have adapted to a new way of life.

It is the same in the natural world. Inhospitable terrain and climate - searing heat or intensive cold - has not deterred tribes and settlers.

The unique period in history that we are now enduring is another example of the human ability to adapt to a different environment and social order, and we have reacted remarkably quickly

The redeeming feature is that although it has brought upheaval, suffering, and death it is likely to be comparatively short lived.

And almost certainly countries and their people will show resilience in going back to their habitual life.

We will soon forget the restrictions and boredom of this unnatural period and again enjoy a freer and, we hope, healthier life.

On the lowest scale, I will be back on my scooter, out shopping.

Coronavirus diary, Monday 1 February 2021

The war ended my chance of going to university. I was thirteen and had been at Emanuel School, Wandsworth for two years. Instead of being evacuated with the school to Churchers College in Hampshire I went to live with an aunt in Cardiff and transferred to Cardiff High School.

Over the next four years I had three more changes between Cardiff and London before leaving school at 16. 

I was fortunate. Despite the upheaval, I went on to an interesting career but I still regret not going to university. I would have been the first in my family. It was the same with most families. 

What a difference since prime minister Tony Blair promised that everyone could have university education. His aim was achieved; the number universities increased to 106.

But a change is coming. The pandemic has wrecked the plan, with the likelihood of fewer universities and far fewer students, especially from overseas.

This may not be a disaster. Not if it encourages the government to improve education and job prospects and training for young people, 

For decades in the last century technical schools and colleges were the stepping stones to interesting, well paid careers. We had a flourishing further education system and daytime and evening classes.

These institutions were the mainstay of adult learning before the first world war. My three uncles in Cardiff went to evening classes before they were called up to serve in the army and all had professional careers and prosperous lives.

My brother, Bert, who failed the eleven-plus examination in 1932, and went to a London technical school, became a senior civil servant. And the lack of a university education didn't stop long-serving Cardiff MP Jim Callaghan becoming prime minister in 1976.

So there is hope for young people who are struggling due to the pandemic. With decisive action by the government and their own determination they can follow those of us who overcame problems of an interrupted and shortened education.