Is this the way to give reassurance and encouragement to a whole population that is going through such difficult times, not to mention the poor vulnerable members of our community making, their lives even more unbearable. Is there no concern for peoples' feelings?

In the televised Government Press Conference two days ago we asked:

'Many people remember that it was Dr Bhatti who made the suggestion that the whole of Gibraltar would get the coronavirus, which caused serious concern and suffering throughout the population. Is he still of that opinion, because there has been no apology from him?'

And Mr Picardo thinks he has the God-given right to interfere in a question which was not directed at him, but at the medical expert, urging Dr Bhatti not to apologise.

That same day it was said elsewhere in print that 'we have all heard several times from the beginning in the context of the pandemic from the GHA representative(s) in the daily televised press conferences, that everyone in Gibraltar would get it...and that there will inevitably be deaths.'

And we have received questions from readers expressing their disgust and their concern about scaremongering of that sort by those in the pinnacle of power and responsibility - now the elected Chief Minister included.

As one of our columnists said last month: "There was nothing measured about what was heard...unless you think that repeating we are all going to catch the virus, and that we should make peace with our loved ones, and explaining the amount of people that are going to die, even how the dead are now going to be put into body bags and then scanned...which must be Gibraltar's own novel way of terrifying the weak and the not so strong-minded among us."

And in England some time ago the same Dr Bhatti wanted to enforce his policy on schoolchildren, but the authorities there warned him that what he wanted was unlawful.

That is the Dr Bhatti the Chief Minister has now joined ranks with.

14-05-2020 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR