Provost urges elderly to abide by the lockdown rules

Inverclyde’s provost is urging older people to abide by the lockdown rules after observing some over 70s flouting Government guidance.

Martin Brennan, 73, said he had come across pensioners in the last few weeks who deemed themselves to be fit and healthy and felt the rules put in place to slow the spread of coronavirus did not apply to them.

Mr Brennan, who has two children and four grandchildren, has been taking particular care to follow all guidance issued by experts, especially as he had a pacemaker fitted almost a year ago, placing him in a potential at-risk category.

And he is now pleading with older people to stay at home, even if they think they won’t catch or spread the virus.

Mr Brennan, who lives in Greenock with his wife, said: “I am reluctant to tell people how to live, but I have noticed some people over 70 who think they are really fit and the advice does not apply to them.

“But I really would say to them; pay attention.

“You might be very fit and you might be very able, but the more contact we have with people, the more likely we are to become ill and the more likely we are to put others at risk.”

The Inverclyde North councillor hasn’t seen his grandchildren for weeks and is having to keep his distance from his daughters, even when they come round to deliver essentials.

But he is insistent that, as hard as these sacrifices are, they must be made in the short-term for everyone’s safety.

He added: “We have got to all be in this together, because if it affects one, it affects us all.

“It’s about protecting other people as much as yourself. It does not matter if you are fit and healthy.”

By Local Democracy Reporter Stephanie Brawn