Thanks but No Thanks as far a Free Postcard for the Elderly in Gibraltar is concerned

WHAT should have been a fantastic idea has clearly not been thought through with regards to the elderly in Gibraltar.

Every address in Gibraltar will receive a special free postcard that shows the rainbow on the front and will be delivered free of charge locally to anyone who Gibraltarians want to thank for their sacrifices during the lockdown.

The idea is to single out someone special who might be a relative or friend working to battle Covid-19, individuals or businesses doing something special to help others or an elderly relative who is required to stay at home due to the rules imposed by the government.

Whoever wants to send a card only needs to fill in the name and address of the recipient, write their message and then drop off in any post box whilst on their daily exercise regime or whilst out shopping.

The Post Office will then arrange for the card to be delivered by the working postmen reminding someone special that they are appreciated – but there is a flaw!

All of those under 70 will be fine but the majority of people in Gibraltar live in blocks of flats which means that mail is not delivered to each apartment but is left in locked boxes at the entrance to the block.

If you are over 70, you are currently not allowed out of your accommodation under any circumstances, therefore you shouldn’t be checking your mail and if you live at the top of a building and have to take a lift down, then you dramatically increase your chances of picking up the virus from the metal, or if you are a ‘silent carrier’ you could leave your bacteria around.

The Post Office is encouraging people to upload a photo of the card or cards they receive on social media, but should anyone over 70 have the means to do this, then in theory they could be confessing to breaking lockdown.