What is wrong with these people?

Yes, we are living in difficult, unprecedented times. Everything has changed and we are all going to have to accept there is going to be a ‘new normal’.

I think the vast majority are making the best of it.

And I’m not for one moment suggesting that things are easy at the moment – far from it.

But I was appalled when I read a report by Guardian chief reporter Stephen Topping that members of the public have had to be ‘urged to be patient when visiting the chemist’ following a recent rise in violence and threatening behaviour towards pharmacists.

Wow, really?

The report correctly states that pharmacies across the country have seen a huge surge in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak.

As a result, there have been some shortages in stock and that has placed real pressure on the services that pharmacies provide.

The increase in aggression and abuse towards community pharmacists has even prompted David Keane, Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, to speak out, saying: “I understand that this is an anxious and worrying time for everyone but people should not be taking out their distress on individuals who are putting themselves and their families in danger by trying to help us.

“Community pharmacists are key workers on our front line, providing NHS services to the public to ensure they have access to vital medicines. They should be treated with respect.

“I am urging members of the public to be patient with them as they work hard to keep us safe.”

Yes, I know we are living in frustrating times but for goodness sake, the last people on earth you should be taking out your frustration in at those on the front line who are doing their best for you.

What is wrong with you people? Get a grip.

While we’re looking at the uglier side of life under lockdown, I thought it was interesting – but not surprising – that the nature of crime has changed.

There weren’t any gasps of amazement at the less than revelatory announcement when home secretary Priti Patel said there had been a fall in overall crime during the outbreak, with ‘car crime, burglary, shoplifting’ lower than the same period last year.

I’d just like to point out to the home secretary that it is remarkably difficult to shoplift from a closed shop and that burglary, by and large, usually needs homes to be empty to be successful. But thanks for the insight, Ms Patel.

So what’s taken the place of burglary and shoplifting to keep our police occupied?

Sadly, it would appear to be domestic violence.

Nearly a third of arrests in Cheshire during lockdown have been made in relation to domestic abuse.

Cheshire Police arrested a total of 426 suspects during the two-week period between April 6 and April 19 and 140 of these were related to domestic abuse, accounting for close to 33 per cent of the total arrests.

That’s not good and my heart goes out to those people trapped at home under lockdown with nowhere to run to. I hope the perpetrators feel the full force of the law.

I also thought it interesting that during the same period, 36 arrests were made for drug driving, 27 for drink driving, 26 for other drug offences and 23 for being drunk and disorderly or affray.

It looks very much like there are people out there self-medicating with drink and/or drugs to see them through the dark days of lockdown.

Can I join the chorus of well-wishers happy that prime minister Boris Johnson has recovered after contracting coronavirus?

If he was as ill as the reports make out, maybe it will colour his ongoing response to the current crisis.

But I was a little perturbed when he made his speech outside No 10 on Monday morning, saying: “I know there will be many people looking at our apparent success, and beginning to wonder whether now is the time to go easy on those social distancing measures.”

Sorry Mr Johnson, I’m struggling to see any success in the government’s strategy. Somewhere in around 35,000 to 45,000 deaths across hospitals, care homes and in the community doesn’t strike me as much of a success.

As I see it, there have been two successful strategies – early, aggressive lockdown or test, contact trace and isolate.

Boris Johnson’s government did neither.

Instead, we went to the races at Cheltenham, Champions League games at Anfield and Stereophonics gigs in Cardiff.

But take the example of New Zealand. Its policy was a clear, enforced, very early lockdown and as of Monday, there had been 19 (yes, nineteen) deaths.

Or what about Iceland which instigated a vigorous testing, contract tracing and isolating regime, unusually testing anyone whether or not they were symptomatic. By Sunday night, there had been 10 (yes ten) deaths attributed to Covid-19.

Interestingly, half of those who tested positive showed absolutely no symptoms of the disease but because they had been tested, they were able to self-isolate and have not passed it on to anyone else.

Yes, I know Iceland and New Zealand are much smaller countries, but even scaling-up, their figures wouldn’t come anywhere close to ours.

So Mr Johnson, I think Iceland and New Zealand (along with South Korea and Germany) can celebrate ‘apparent success’.

History will be the judge of just how successful your strategy has been.