Letters: Our churches bring comfort – they must reopen

Is ‘the Science’ scientific?

Sir: I hope that those in the highest places will have read and will act upon Dr John Lee’s excellent summary (‘The corona puzzle’, 28 March). His article cuts through the information overload and explains the surreal situation the country is now in. Draconian decisions have been made on the basis of ‘the Science’, apparently without realising that it is not science at all. The dangers of mere extrapolations, both mathematical and humanitarian, are widely understood. Modelling is, in this instance, a sophisticated form of extrapolation and even more dangerous. A specific model cannot be dignified with the term ‘science’ until it has withstood thorough testing.

We are suffering a crippling reaction justified by modelling based on seriously deficient starting data. The situation is so unprecedented that predictions must carry immense margins of error. This supposed ‘cure’ is vastly worse than the disease.
Neill G. Ross
Burnaston, Derbyshire

In praise of cleaners

Sir: I was pleased to see Dr Max Pemberton’s acknowledgment of the ‘absolute forefront’ role hospital cleaners have in the struggle against Covid-19 (‘The battle ahead’, 28 March). They have been, as he says, ‘neglected… undermined and undervalued’ in the contracting-out schemes they work under. I hope that in any post-crisis examination of the NHS they will be recognised as playing a key role and be brought back within the NHS as employees, with decent wages and decent conditions.
Jim Sillars
Edinburgh

Yes, it’s not a war

Sir: Matthew Parris is correct: comparisons with the second world war are preposterous (‘Don’t let anyone tell you there’s a war on’, 4 April). If comparisons have to be made, however, could we have less talk about Dunkirk and more about D-Day? The latter required a master plan which understandably had to be kept secret.