CORONAVIRUS: Frontline nurse in impassioned plea to people to stay at home

In a hard-hitting post on social media, Ann Marie Wagstaff, said she and her colleagues were seeing things that were tearing them apart day by day.

And she said when they then saw people gathering in groups, behaving unhygienically, it made them feel much worse.

Her comments come after Boston police and the council have issued fresh appeals after concerns were raised in the last week or so about people flouting the lockdown rules.

Ann, who is a staff nurse at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, working on one of designated Covid-19 wards, said she wanted to ensure people understood the message.

She told the Standard: “People are losing their parent or loved ones and because others don’t see what those who are grieving or see they don’t understand how cruel Covid-19 is.

“I think the message is being ignored because putting your life on hold in warm weather or over the Bank Hoilday seems unfair.

“What me and my colleagues are seeing is tearing us apart day by day and essentially something has to be seen to be believed, and because what is happening is being done so well there is very little idea of what its like in reality.”

She said her main feeling when seeing people ignoring the guidelines was one of sadness.

“I work in an amazing hospital where staff are working round the clock, we are going above and beyond, and are often exhausted.

“I often feel sadness driving home seeing people gathering and socialising.”

Here is Ann’s impassioned post in full: “So I’ve been thinking of posting for a while but haven’t felt the need until now.

“I’m not posting for glory or gratitude just to give some food for thought. I’m a nurse, I am a seasoned pro with death and can deal with it along with the almighty himself, same as my team but...what we are seeing is tearing us apart day by day.

“And what’s making it worse is knowing there are some people who still go out in groups, who still act unhygienically in the street.

“I want you all to imagine this...you go out, you’re bored, fair enough, it’s hard staying at home watching Netflix, playing the Xbox, I get it.

“Pottering around, someone spits in your direction or coughs (they don’t know miss rona has become their new cojoined twin), you are now the proud owner of donated covid-19.

“You’re young, it doesn’t affect you; your mum isn’t, she has asthma, she picks up your washing, sniffs in your scent as mums do and BANG! she has Covid too.

“Of course she can’t shake it, the asthma is helping the virus destroy her body.

“She goes to hospital and the last time you see her is on a stretcher masked up with oxygen on.

“You can’t visit her and she dies. You’ll never see her again, no goodbye at the funeral home, only five people at the funeral ,so you may not make the five.

“Bit brutal? Bit unfair? Bit harsh?

“Yeah it is, but so is being selfish and running around when there’s a pandemic that could kill any one of us!”