Covid-19: ‘You can’t socially distance in a fire engine’

• WE wish to bring to the attention of readers a problem with the treatment of fire workers.

There are many heroes of the pandemic, and we owe such a debt of gratitude to all those front-line workers who have enabled the rest of us to continue to function.

So it is distressing to hear that our brave and dedicated firefighters are being denied a previously agreed basic safety measure.

Firefighters have carried out many public service duties such as driving ambulances and also moving the bodies of people who have died of Covid-19.

Before returning to normal duties in their regular places of work, they previously had to submit a negative PCR test, for the obvious reason that if they returned while carrying the virus they could infect the whole station.

You can’t socially distance in a fire engine. But fire service management now want to allow workers to return to work without a negative PCR test. This is not good enough. They should retain the test as it keeps us all safer.

If you have to dial 999, you don’t want to phone a fire station where many of the firefighters have contracted the virus which was brought in by one of their colleagues.

DAVID BREWERTON
& JEREMY DREW
Islington Green Party