With regards to Boris Johnson’s trip to Hexham hospital, the website of the Northumbria NHS foundation trust has advice for those wishing to visit (Boris Johnson seen maskless in hospital as cases among MPs rise, 8 November). To paraphrase, visiting should be kept to a minimum, and masks must be worn when entering the hospital. What was so necessary that Johnson, and presumably a large retinue of advisers and security personnel, had to travel from London to the hospital? Was anything concrete achieved or learned from the visit? What was so vital that required a large number of people to walk around the hospital? “Wear a mask when you enter the hospital”: it’s hard to be clearer than that isn’t it? I’d imagine the vast majority of the electorate would take it as read that this statement not only applies to the act of entering the hospital, but also in fact to the state of being in the hospital, and therefore wearing a mask for the whole of your visit. So what was the prime minister doing there? And why was he not wearing a mask for the entire duration of his visit? Even if none of the above registers, he’s in a hospital. All the doctors and nurses are wearing masks. It’s completely incomprehensible behaviour. I wonder how the relatives of the dying who are unable to visit feel when looking at those pictures. Matthew Sears Michaelchurch Escley, Herefordshire • Isn’t it about time that the NHS stopped allowing our prime minister into its hospitals? My wife, who is a year on from cancer surgery, is receiving follow-up checks on a regular basis. She has a PCR test before every visit, despite two Covid jabs and a booster, and must wear a medical-standard mask along with everyone else. I am not allowed to come into the hospital with my wife. We are both happy to follow the rules, which are for everyone’s safety. Surely hospitals realise that they have become filmsets where Boris Johnson is the star and the staff are extras in the show. If hospitals allow him in, the staff should protest and refuse to take part. Name and address supplied • How long before Thomas Eaton’s Saturday quiz asks what links Kabul, Hexham and a refrigerator? Michael Woodgate Bristol • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.