The article in last week's Gazette, "Town's testing cause of high infection rate", was not really as reassuring as it was probably meant to be.

Simon Bryant, director of Public Health for Hampshire, seemed to say that because more people were tested in Hampshire more were found to have the coronavirus. But he was unable to say how many had been tested. This is "the Emperor's new clothes" all over again. In other words we are expected to believe Mr. Bryant even though he cannot provide any evidence to back up his assumption.

The rate of infection is the only sound evidence provided, and that was high! To asses Mr. Bryant's explanation we need figures. If the rate of infection is up because we test more people than in Barrow-in-Furness, or Timbuktu, then prove it! Perhaps the high rate of infection in London was due to the fact that they tested loads more than elsewhere?

No I'm sorry Mr. Bryant, but we can see quite clearly that the Emperor isn't wearing a thing! He's in the altogether, and you are rowing a boat up the old proverbial creek to nowhere.

Brian Simmonds, Belmont Heights, Hatch Warren