Ms Olga Wehrly:

I want to follow on from what Anna-Karin said about accessibility. Since I got long Covid I have had similar issues with public transport. When I am in a flare of EDS, there is often no seating at the bus stop. If you have to go somewhere and you need to be there at a particular time, inevitably it is easier to drive, if possible. I have noticed that a lot of seating has been removed in our urban areas and villages. Two weeks ago, I went to a private shopping centre in a nearby village. There are no seats there, apart from in the cafés. For people with mobility issues and people who get fatigued, it is really important that we make our villages and towns more friendly. Currently, these places are very hostile in that there is nowhere to sit down and rest. It is seen as inciting antisocial behaviour. That is at the expense of people who really need to take a little breather. Access to toilets is also an issue. I noticed during the pandemic that there are very few, if any, public toilets. We are relying on the private sector to provide them and that is not appropriate.