Its becoming increasingly difficult for the public to have full confidence in the authorities managing this present crisis. The NSW Chief Health Officer says that the Ruby Princess was low risk when we all knew the very high risk from previous incidents with cruise ships. This contradicts protocol and the earlier quarantining of overseas arrivals on Christmas Island and other locations. Vanessa Tennent, Oatley

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When the history of the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia is written, March 19 will go down as the day on which the opportunity to bring the outbreak under control was lost.

The name Ruby Princess, and that of its captain and whoever in NSW Health made the decision to allow 2700 passengers to disembark and disperse across the country and overseas will go down in infamy. Heads shouldnt just roll over this debacle. People should go to jail.Malcolm McEwen, North Turramurra

Not sure what your correspondent David Atherfold needs to do to get sent to Manus Island, but it looks like arriving by boat no longer does the trick, even if coronavirus-infected passengers are on board (Letters, March 25). Steve Cornelius, Brookvale

Imagine making stopping boats the centrepiece of your entire political platform for 10 years, and then failing to stop the one boat that actually mattered. What a Ruby Princess you are. Yen Heng, Wahroonga

Though we are all meant to pull together to get through the crisis there are some groups who will try to take advantage of the situation (''Independent schools my ask for more funding'', March 25).As the president of the NSW Teachers Federation says some public schools are still short of basic hygiene products.

If the government can find more money for schools then helping public school students access online learning when they have no computers or internet connection at home should be a top priority. I cant see a valid case for even more money to be given to private schools. Judy Sherrington, Kensington

If the Association of Independent Schools in NSW believe that they are entitled to yet more public funding they need to open their finances to public scrutiny and justify their claim. In the meantime do what any other business would do and look at the fees and costs, and delay capital spending where possible. They can also examine the key messages of the religion to which they are affiliated and consider whether shamelessly gouging more funding from an already strained public purse is consistent with their religion. John Whiteing, Willoughby

I do not want my taxes to go to independent schools. I want it to go to public schools because they cater to pupils from all socio-economic levels; the unemployed who will struggle to put a roof over their heads and put food on the table; and hospitals in need of life saving equipment, additional intensive care units and beds. Lets strengthen the public school system. Jill Phillips, Ettalong Beach

Mixed messages on the role of schools has caused unnecessary uncertainty for parents, teachers and students and has significantly undermined the governments' messaging (''Parents stay positive as nation's living rooms become classrooms'', March 25). The reality is clear. The role of schools to provide excellent education for our kids is unchanged. Kids can attend school either in person or online. The focus of resources and communication should be on making school premises safe for teachers and students and for transfer to innovative online education for kids who stay at home. David Hind, Neutral Bay

High school students do not need constant parental supervision, so high schools should close immediately. There could be a skeleton roster of primary school teachers to be on supervision for those primary age children who need to attend. The NSW Department of Education already has comprehensive Distance Education programs for all subjects. Utilise these resources and send hard copies to those students who do not have access to adequate technologies. Jenny Baker, North Bondi

Once again, Scott Morrison has failed the Australian people ("Hardline lockdown to last for months", March 25). His wishy washy, daggy dad, homespun excuses for the inadequate measures he has announced do not constitute leadership. He obviously doesn't know Australians very well. They'll do whatever they can get away with. The only way to get many of them to follow orders is to lock them down in their homes as Boris Johnson has done in the UK, and have the police and army enforce the lockdown.

It's now up to Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to show true leadership and to make this difficult but necessary decision. In a week (or maybe less) we'll need to do it anyway, with not much further damage economically, but with huge costs to the health of many, especially our frontline healthcare workers. Those who are a few weeks ahead of us in this crisis (Italy, USA) are wishing they had acted sooner and harder. It's now up to NSW and Victoria to lead the way. Pam Timms, Suffolk Park

It seems clear that Scott Morrison is more concerned about the economic impact of his actions rather than the health impact every single job is essential. All his actions to date have been to limit the economic impact in the next month or quarter.

But the full impact needs to be measured over the complete life of the crisis. More economic pain now may mean that the crisis is not as prolonged, and the total impact is less. But maybe our superior economic managers were away the day they taught that. David Rush, Lawson

Woe is us, misfortune upon calamity. To be cursed with a mean and muddle-headed Coalition government in office when the nature of the health and socioeconomic disaster about to befall us cries out for a Labor Party with a commitment to social welfare and the people's wellbeing running in its veins. Karen Coleman, Waterloo

The incremetalism and indecision that has characterised this Prime Minister's approach to drought, bushfires and climate change is repeating itself with this current crisis. Despite constant warnings from doctors and pleas for an urgent total lockdown to save lives, the need for critical leadership from this government has again failed to materialise.

Their willingness to repeatedly ignore the science will surely cost more lives and prolong the economic and social agony for many Australians, pain that could arguably have been avoided. Simon Wright, Orange

Efforts to ensure social distancing are widespread, but little has been attempted to include public transport. I suggest that peak travel congestion could be considerably reduced, allowing more distancing, if widely staggered operating hours were required in major cities. This could be done if blocks of similar industries all adopted the same schedules (eg: all banks to open from say 11am, all insurance companies from say 8am.) Such a measure could be better than more people losing their jobs. Richard Manuell, Frenchs Forest

To help prevent transmission of coronavirus, why arent all retail workers required to wear disposable gloves when exchanging cash and goods with customers? Rob Baveystock, Naremburn

Maximum five at a wedding. Maximum 10 at boot camp training. An opportunity for personal trainer celebrants? Ian Waters, Surry Hills

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As a senior person living in regional NSW, I have often looked at supermarkets and petrol stations and wondered what would happen if the supply chain failed ("Law essential to maintain supplies: ports", March 25). I am now seeing it in real life. In the current crisis we hope that our supplies will last and be restocked but what about our imports and our reliance on global suppliers. Without blaming any political party, as they have both contributed, this will also be a good learning experience and rekindling the economic ideals of self-sufficiency need to be part of economic policy. Robert Mulas, Corlette

If we had decent NBN, Foxtel would have disappeared from the planet long ago ("Rupert Murdoch's Foxtel could become a sports casualty", March 25). With all of the streaming services, one wonders why would Telstra pitch in millions of dollars to rescue the dead horse Fox Sports? Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill

With months stretching ahead with no sport can we persuade TV stations to replay grand finals both NRL and AFL from as far back as they have them. We could all get a laugh at the changing fashions, an insight into the changing rules, and unless we look up the result or it was a very memorable match for us there may be the excitement of not knowing who will win. Anne Stearman, Downer ACT

Tell him hes dreamin (Trump wants US economy to re-open by Easter as coronavirus cases grow, March 25). Sue Dyer, Downer ACT

Many health and medical professionals are demanding Australia do more widespread testing for COVID-19. They seem to be ignorant of the fact that we are already doing more testing than any other country in the world except South Korea the gold standard for testing. And we are not far behind South Korea. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee reported on March 22 that we had done 123,000 tests and South Korea had done 282,555 tests. Adjusting for population size, our rate of 480 tests per 100,000 is only marginally lower than South Koreas 549 per 100,000. Check the facts before criticising the decision-makers. Robert Cumming, Professor of Epidemiology, University of Sydney

Confidence in superannuation may be lower now than during the long positive run weve had, but how much money would most people have put away voluntarily without compulsory superannuation (Letters, March 25)? Ninety per cent of something is vastly better than 100 per cent of nothing. Luke Crosthwaite, Talgarno

With all this broadcasting from peoples homes lately, I cant help but be struck by the absence of colour of the walls (''Yes, we're judging you'', March 25).

Whenever I see these broadcasts I feel like Im viewing a doctor's waiting room. Where is the warmth, the cozyness, the homeliness? Where is the colour? A nice deep red, yellow or teal? I didnt realise all Australians take their inspiration from the same colour chart. Benjamin Rushton, Birchgrove

I advise that in no Star Trek episode did anyone say, "It's life, [anyone], but not as we know it" (Letters, March 24). The closest that I can find is: "At least, no life as we know it". Furthermore, Kirk never said, "Beam me up, Scotty"; he said, "Scotty, beam me up". I know; I have better things to do than recall old Star Trek episodes. Dave Horsfall, North Gosford

Speaking of depressing good reading, try Hell Ship by Michael Veitch: the true story of the plague ship Ticonderoga. Worse than any cruise ship! Ian Ferrier, Paddington

Lionel Shrivers novel The Mandibles: A Family 2029-2047 should also go on the plague reading list. It tells the story of an extended familys experiences during the economic and societal collapse of America and will also give you a good back story to the value of toilet paper. Kerrie Walshaw, Bundeena

And then there is the great classic of Italian literature, I Promessi Sposi, The Betrothed, by Alessandro Manzoni, which is set in the late 1620s and was written in the early 1800s. It describes the terrible impacts of the plague across the country north-east of Milan towards Bergamo, which is the area of Italy worst affected by the present infectious scourge. David Stewart, Newcastle East

Hi to Sue Humphreys (Letters, March 25). And hi every morning. Graham Russell, Clovelly

See the article here:

Accountability needed over failure to stop the boat - Sydney Morning Herald