Sir, – As a member of the Fairground Association Great Britain I am very concerned by the front page headline “Links Market in doubt as coronavirus hits Fife” (Courier, March 7).
I am deeply worried by the possible threat that the 2020 Links Market may be cancelled due to coronavirus.
If this were to happen this raises a lot of questions.
I am under the impression that Kirkcaldy Links Market is a charter fair and legally must be held every year and failure to do so could lead to legal action against Fife Council from the fairground community.
In the event of a cancellation will the event go ahead at a later point in the year?
Will the event be given an extension in 2021 perhaps a two-week fair instead of the usual one week? This would make up for any cancellation this year.
What guarantees can Fife Council give that any cancellation is for the purposes of coronavirus prevention and not a longer term step for trying to remove the Kirkcaldy Links Market more permanently?
There have been noises made to this effect in the past and things like the narrowing of the Esplanade lead me to this conclusion.
I personally think that the cancellation of the Links Market would be the wrong thing to do.
Coronavirus could be caught anywhere.
We could see the situation where the Links Market is cancelled but the very next weekend I could go and sit at a Raith Rovers match and catch the virus there.
Unless we shut down every business, every shop, all public transport, all sporting events, all schools etc… and make sure every person in the UK is sealed in their home with doors and windows barricaded then the chances are this virus will continue to spread regardless of any specific event being cancelled.
The authorities in Kirkcaldy must tread very carefully and remember what is their loss is a gain for someone else.
If the Links Market is cancelled my money won’t be spent in Kirkcaldy.
That means I won’t be having a meal or drink in the restaurants or the bars, or visiting local shops after attending the event as I would normally do.
It might also mean that I travel to places such as Hull or Nottingham later in the year to attend the massive fairs held in these cities, meaning that the money I would have spent in Kirkcaldy will end up in the English economy instead.
Alastair Macintyre.
18 Webster Place,
Rosyth.
Getting a grip on coronavirus risk
Sir, – Medical microbiologists discovered human coronaviruses in the 1960s but paid little attention because they were just recurrent causes of the common cold. There was no treatment, and as testing took so long, the patient would recover long before the results came through.
The rest of the population should get a grip on reality.
Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
Hand washing horror show
Sir, – As coronavirus continues to spread unabated we’ve been advised to wash our hands for 20 seconds.
I’ve never before timed my hand washing but, having done so now, I find my average time is 45 seconds,which suggests the government is coming up a bit short on their advice.
Everybody should be washing their hands as part of their daily routine anyway, but not everyone is. At the Dunfermline v QOS game on March 7, I saw two people walk out of two different toilet areas without as much as a cursory glance towards the sink area.
Whilst many of us are going to be affected by this virus it would be of great assistance if people of poor hygiene practices were to improve the way they conduct themselves, not only in their own home but in public.
Eric Travers.
38 Gellatly Road,
Dunfermline.
CTLR will create new city bypass
Sir, – When the Cross Tay Link Road is completed drivers on the A9 south of Perth who are going to the north- east on the A90 will find they have a convenient alternative route.
They can go via the A94 rather than going along the A90 to Dundee and struggling with all the local Dundee traffic along the Kingsway before heading north again.
This new route will take the pressure off the Kingsway for a while, but it will be to the detriment of the communities of Balbeggie, Burrelton, Woodside, Coupar Angus and Meigle who will have to cope with all the extra traffic which will follow the straighter, shorter country route to Forfar and thence northwards.
This will apply vice versa.
Nobody would dispute that the Kingsway divides communities, or that it is in need of a complete bypass, but the geography is not easy and recent building has blocked some of the most obvious relief routes.
A recent contributor to your paper talked of the malaise that has inflicted public procurement recently, possibly this is because there has been a lack of joined up thinking and a lack of proper public debate on these important issues.
Let’s all try to do better for Dundee and the wider rural community this time.
Sandy Main.
Quarryhill, Kinloch.
Plucky reply as chicken shelved
Sir, – I refer to your article “Supermarkets lag on home chickens” (Courier Farming, March 7).
In particular the final paragraph: “The real disappointment was Tesco and Asda, where there was no sign of any Scottish chicken products on their shelves in Scotland.”
While I appreciate there may not be many “Scottish” items on Asda shelves, they do appear to have more British chicken items than anyone else.
At the end of the day we are all still British – until Nicola Sturgeon gets her way!
Marilyn Mauran.
West Cottage,
Westhall Feus, Kellas.
University the stumbling block
Sir, – In the article “Social media backing sought for bid to build university wind farm” (Courier, March 5) the anonymous Amnesty International spokesman said “our aim now is to make Kenly a nationwide issue and steer public opinion towards this worthy cause in order to force a reaction from the MoD”.
The MoD “Radar Mitigation Scheme” means a scheme proposed by the university to address the impact of the wind farm development on the operation of the Primary Surveillance Radar and air traffic control traffic radar at RAF Leuchars.
It is to ensure adequate measures are in place to mitigate radar interference in the interests of protecting air safety.
The MoD confirm they are ready to engage in any future proposals, but the university have not come up with any in the last five years.
It is the university that is standing in the way of the development.
Graham Lang.
Westermost,
Ceres, By Cupar.
Council pothole response praise
Sir, – I must thank Perth and Kinross Council for the prompt filling in of a deep pothole in Viewlands Road West.
I reported it a few days ago and it was dealt with within 48 hours!
May I also thank the council gardeners for the excellent displays over the Fair City over the past year.
Isabel Wardrop.
111 Viewlands Rd West,
Perth.
