James O'Brien brands Covid deniers 'absolute clowns' after caller's moving tale
13 October 2020, 12:47 | Updated: 13 October 2020, 19:32
James O'Brien brands Covid deniers 'absolute clowns'
When one listener told LBC that shielding had left his wife feeling like a "burden" James was quick to come to his defence, branding those who deny the impact of Covid "absolute clowns."
"I just think it's chaos, and I don't trust anyone," that was how one caller opened with when he started speaking to LBC's James O'Brien.
Peter from Fairford was speaking to LBC in the wake of a change to how local lockdowns happen and the introduction of a system with three tiers.
He told LBC that his wife is in the category of people who are required to shield.
"Some people say to just shield the vulnerable," which Peter branded "simplistic."
He explained the fact his wife needed to shield impacts on his old family, telling James he has a "five-year-old girl," adding his wife would not be able to shield from their child.
"It's hard," Peter said, revealing he is a self-employed photographer and that his daughter "wants to see her friends" and the situation has left his wife feeling "like she's a burden."
James said that she was left feeling "not only a burden" but that she has "been left responsible for her own health, as opposed to it being part of the national health."
James said all the arguments "carry some weight if there is a really first-class test, trace and isolate system in place."
Heartbreakingly Peter said his five-year-old daughter "can't understand she can't see her friends, she doesn't know why she can't have play dates."
He said while his family was trying to be careful, one of his wife's friends caught Covid and spent three days in hospital on oxygen.
"I don't want that to happen to my wife."
The caller said he found it really infuriating that some of his friends post on social media about the coronavirus pandemic with talk of the inevitability of a second wave.
"I just don't know what to do to be honest," Peter said, adding "these are people that are in my life and I don't want to lose all these friends, but for us it's a real risk."
"It's not just a cold."
James said he could feel the callers pain, telling his own personal experience to the LBC listener.
Peter told James while the six-month national lockdown was taking place his daughter was able to deal with it.
But he added, "I just don't think it's fair on her, or all these people feeling they're a burden."
"They feel they're a burden to their family and friends and that's not fair."
He said it was like society casting these people away unless it impacted on them directly.
James said these people were overlooking the deaths that have already happened: "It's quite incredible, and they overlook the fact that we've seen the published figures on how many deaths were caused by Covid-19, and how many are caused by traditional flu, for which of course we already have a vaccine."
After reading a text from a listener calling for "balance" James said: "Ok, in the interests of balance it won't kill you, it's not dangerous, and it isn't a global international pandemic, and people like Peter are getting their knickers in a bunch over something completely nonsensical."
"Oh and down with Captain hindsight, you absolute clowns."
Watch the whole moving call in the video at the top of the page.
