I was astonished to learn that in the winter of 1968/69 the Hong Kong flu pandemic hit the world resulting in a million lives lost worldwide including 80,000 in the UK alone.

I had just turned 21 that December but have absolutely no recollection of this tragic event.

Apparently, there was no intrusive government action implementing guidelines to cope with the crisis, which prompts the question, will the proposals to cope with Covid-19, in time to come, be remembered as the 'Politics of Fear'?

The UK has the second highest death toll in the world, with more fatalities every day. Something has gone very wrong!

Many in social isolation have succumbed to the virus, 350,000 around the world have died, yet 1.5m who displayed symptoms have recovered.

If you do not have an underlying health problem your chances of dying, regardless of age, are very small. Young adults and children have almost no risk of any serious illness.

The Government has introduced unprecedented restrictions on basic freedom, causing the loss of millions of jobs, destroying businesses, incurring massive debts in the economy, forecasting it to be the worst recession in living memory, leaving many people wondering if they will ever find gainful employment again.

Three years ago I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (blood cancer). I am still undergoing treatment, this puts me in the high risk category of vulnerable people, yet I feel obliged to say that it is time to remove lockdown procedures.

Life is all about taking risks. There are never going to be any guarantees.

This virus, like the Hong Kong flu, will eventually go away but until it does, we must stand together, help each other, as long as we adhere to social distancing and wearing PPE.

Businesses must be allowed to reopen if they wish to. No-one is going to force customers through their doors, especially barber shops/hairdressing salons.

It is double standards for politicians to close these establishments yet appear on television with neatly-cut trimmed haircuts.

The same applies to TV presenters. Who is cutting their hair?

The rest of us are going to have to wait until July 4. My hair is the longest it has ever been since I was a teenager. My seven year old grandson reliably informed me that I now bear a similar resemblance to the character Chewbacca from the Star Wars films!

Michael Brooks

Calder Drive

Kendal