Postcard from plague city

You might have thought that Brighton and Hove, with five recorded cases of coronavirus, is a city in panic.

Far from it.

I now travel on the buses as I have a senior free pass.

I have noted that illness is frequent topic of conversation on buses, especially as the number 7, which goes through the main arteries of Brighton, passes by the Royal Sussex Hospital.

I expected to hear conversation along the lines that there was some loose connection between a passenger and the person who is now called the  super-spreader.

Not a bit of it.

As soon as someone is diagnosed with coronavirus he/she is sent off to London for quarantine.

Over the years I can recall all the illness fears and scares: AIDS in the eighties, then Mad Cow Disease and then Listeria in eggs.

The fact is whilst coronavirus is highly contagious there is only a 1% mortality rate.

I also question whether it’s been around longer than we know.

On the Japan trip many of the party went down with a bug originating in the Philippines.

My p/a Polly had a nasty flu. Could these have been overseas viruses ? The tabloids fuel these fears with a swipe at Johnny Foreigner.

Local MP Caroline Lucas said that people don’t understand what “ self-isolation means”. I would be happy to explain. I have been doing this most of my life!