Sir, – I am a pensioner with health issues and have been isolating since March when Covid-19 turned everything upside down.
Having no family to depend on, living alone and only leaving my apartment to buy food twice a month is tough.
I am, however, lucky in the sense that my passion is knitting and crocheting. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, I used to belong to a knitting group and made good friends there. It is a therapeutic hobby that keeps me busy and helps to keep my spirits up. Suffering from chronic pain causes depression but creating beautiful projects gives me a sense of purpose and fulfilment. It is a hobby I was taught as a young girl by my late Mom who was an avid knitter.
As a pensioner I have been buying wool from Aldi for years as it is good value for money. The Government has now decided to stop Aldi and Lidl from selling the middle-aisle goods as they are deemed non-essential. What am I supposed to do now, I ask Leo Varadkar? It is the only activity that keeps me sane and content! What am I living for if I have no family, no friends, nowhere to go and the only hobby I love is taken away from me? Am I now non-essential too? – Yours, etc,
IRENE NEL,
Tuam Co. Galway.
Sir, – Fr Joe McVeigh (Letters, October 29th) asks “Do those clergy who are calling for churches to be reopened for public worship not think of the common good?”
Indeed we do – both the common good and the greater good.
As to the common good – as evangelical church leaders we have assured the Taoiseach that we will continue to maintain the highest possible standards of hygiene, distancing and other precautionary measures – as we have been doing.
As to the grater good, in a time when uncertainty, illness and death confront us afresh, the church needs to be proclaiming the good news and hope that Jesus Christ brings, and ministering to the burdens which people are bearing. In addition, God has made us social beings and the supportive relationships that churches nurture are vital, and cannot be dispensed with without significant harm.
Two letters, addressed to the Taoiseach and signed between them by nearly 200 evangelical church leaders asked that, for the good of the individual, society and the nation, churches be left free to gather for worship in a safe and responsible way. – Yours, etc,
Rev MARK LOUGHRIDGE,
Milford Reformed
Presbyterian Church,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – I am at a loss to understand why at Level 5 I can exercise with one other adult, ie I presume walk or run, but am restricted from playing tennis with one other person.
With tennis there is a computerised booking system for courts, I am at least 10 metres distant from the other person, I can sanitise my hands every five minutes if I like, and am outdoors, yet this does not fall within the Level 5 restrictions. This is especially difficult to understand when hurling and football are permitted to continue, both sports with close contact.
For many in the country, tennis and golf are extremely important, not only for exercise, but also for the mental health of the participants.
I for one try to play a minimum of one hour’s singles tennis every day, together with long walks with my dog. Both of these are what keep me healthy and in good spirits during the present trying times.
Please could Sport Ireland bring this matter up with the Government, with a view to having the restrictions in relation to golf and tennis amended. – Yours, etc,
GRACE HALL,
Co Wexford.