A SMALL story on page 2 of today's Oxford Mail speaks great volumes about the state of our nation today.

The Oxford Kurdish Association – a group for refugees from war-torn Syria – have spent the past month packing and delivering lunches for the National Health Service in their adopted country.

These are people who undoubtedly have great struggles of their own, adapting to life in a new country, and yet, with their incomparable experience of man's inhumanity to man, have instantly recognised the incalculable value in our National Health Service.

Their reaction to the crisis is sadly in stark contrast with today's front page story, which reveals four in ten care homes in Oxford have been hit by the virus.

Though not surprising at this stage, these figures are a powerful reminder of just how much more our government could have done earlier on in this crisis.

Care homes, housing the most vulnerable people in society, are an obvious epicentre for virus deaths, yet no special provision was made to help them.

The government now tells us it is working 'around the clock' to ensure the sector in England is getting the support it needs.

Compare and contrast.