At present, applicants only receive benefits from the date of registration. The current lines of desperate people standing shoulder to shoulder could be reduced substantially if people were able to register over a longer period in the knowledge that they would not miss out.

This is a simple and logical solution which would be more respectful and safer for those with no choice other than to apply for carry-over aid. The government is responsible for gutting the number of permanent Centrelink professionals and needs to now at least make a concession to both the staff and clients by putting in place more sensible procedures.

Whenever you hear the words "the reality is", you know there's some dodgy, and unsubstantiated, opinion coming at you.

Nicholas Stuart ("The big problem with flattening the curve", canberratimes.com.au, March 25) asserts the problem with not closing schools in response to COVID-19 is: "The reality is we're being used as a petri dish, with our children as the culture."

The New Scientist of March 21 has an interview with the World Health Organisation's assistant director general ("The countries getting it right", p8) who has been making a study of the responses of different countries to the pandemic.

When asked about school closures, he said: "That's a tough one ... one of the curious things with COVID-19 is that we have not seen school outbreaks. I talked to my colleagues in South Korea, in China, in Italy, everywhere; no one has seen school outbreaks."

He makes the point that, although it's not known why, COVID-19 does not behave like a flu outbreak where schools are usually hotspots for infection and transmission.

While acknowledging kids who are infected don't tend to show symptoms, and may be bringing the infection home, he adds: "We don't have a lot of data to suggest that kids are infecting their families."

The petri dish image is dramatic but doesn't seem to have a scientific basis.

Jevon Kinder (Letters, March 20) shows a potentially dangerous misunderstanding of "herd immunity".

In this dreadful time, with the threat of a disease we do not currently have a vaccine for, he states we should carry on as normal and expose about 80 per cent of us to an unregulated exposure to the COVID-19 virus to "not impact the hospital system and help develop herd immunity".

This is a regrettable misunderstanding of how herd immunity is achieved and could contribute to yet another of those silly rumours that seem to fly about the country when danger arises.

Reliance on this proposal may produce an effect called "indirect immunity" or "herd effect" but it is by no means a good approach. Vaccination is the only reliable method of saving lives and conferring a state of "herd immunity". I hope Jevon Kinder's suggestion gains no traction.

Stephen Jones (Letters, March 20) asks why the CEOs of Coles and Woollies give preferential buying to one particular group.

Presumably he is referring to the aged and disabled. He implies, I suspect inadvertently, this group is stockpiling since shelves are bare of the items a majority believe are crucial to coping with the anticipated effects of the growing threat of coronavirus.

The answer is simple. While the aged and disabled are as much at risk as anyone else of catching the disease, their death rate is much higher. It is not this "select group" who are greedily stockpiling.

It is the younger generation, members of whom are even prepared to come to blows. Our prime minister rightly chastised this lot as un-Australian.

Our PM's "cranky dad" routine is really starting to grate. He needs to bring us with him if we are not to follow Italy and other countries.

Rubbishing all Australians for the appalling behaviour of some Australians at supermarkets is not going to do it.

Harsh words and generalisations just anger those of us who are working hard to do the right thing. They are ignored by those who aren't.

We don't need a cranky dad, we need a prime minister. Morrison could put a stop to panic buying overnight with appropriate restrictions. I wish he would just do it so we can get on with taking care of our families and our community without the added worry of putting food on the table, soap in the bathroom and toilet rolls in the toilet.

I strongly object to Mr Barr's reported comment that "If you're a landlord and think you're going to be able to continue to make the same level of profit that you were before this, you are going to have to think again".

Not all ACT landlords are "profiteers". There are many who use their so-called "profits" as basic income to live on. It is their superannuation.

Mr Barr, please think again before you target landlords who use rental income (sometimes even through sub-letting) to keep afloat financially so they don't depend on government.

We are also paying into government coffers through hefty land tax bills. We landlords are financially contributing to your government.

In the past the ACT government has offered to forego land tax on rental properties if the landlord agreed to the government setting a rental price.

Maybe, if the government offered to remove land tax without intruding into the rental charged, landlords would agree to reduce rent by the land tax amount to assist renters during the crisis .

There are new confirmed cases in Canberra and they are self-isolated at home. Whilst there is still capacity, why aren't these cases isolated in strictly controlled locations?

Haven't the authorities learned anything from what happened in Italy? In a few weeks the health services will be overwhelmed. Now, while we still have resources, we should be doing everything possible to stop the spread and "flatten the curve".

I have to agree with James Allan (Letters, March 22) there is no way we should delay the ACT election.

It could, if people had some brains, get rid of this awful "develop at all costs" Barr government.

Any piece of green space is a target for Andrew Barr to turn into high rise concrete towers.

The sad thing is the Opposition is so hopeless no-one can really vote for them.

What we really need are far more independents.

Thank you Pamela Fawke (Letters, March 20) for your kind advice on where I should look for my buried loo paper, and that I may have to wait a time to find it.

Unfortunately I need it now because it's all I have left to pay my ACT rates bill.

Toilet paper appears to be the only market accepted currency available.

On my interpretation, my ghastly bill comes to about five rolls and 15 sheets.

I will still have some change left over for smooth sailing for the near future.

I was filthy rich but, until I find it, I am flat broke.

Jenna Price "I will not be lectured by this man" (March 20, Page 37) has completely lost the plot.

Her bias against the prime minister is often on show.

This time she has excelled with her hysterical, and vitriolic, rant. How this person is given space in this paper is beyond me.

In response to Jenna Price's comments about the prime minister, if you are of an age where you could be considered a responsible adult then the PM wouldn't have had to call out the entire Australian population about being stupid about hoarding.

If you are acting like a two year old expect to be treated and spoken to like one.

If you are not guilty of this behaviour then the PM's words should have no effect on you.

And if you do have surplus quantities of whatever give it to the next person who may have the need.

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