Will Devon & Cornwall be ok to go to in July?

[EinsteinaGogo]

We are in a real dilemma.. We have to pay the balance on our holiday in the next couple of weeks which is about another £800 on top of the £400 deposit already paid.

We've gone for a self catering holiday flat on the Devon / Cornwall border for last week of June /
first week in July.

Don't really want to go if the touristy places we'd usually go to aren't open but our holiday company are only offering a reschedule so will lose our money if we cancel. We have a family wedding next year (hopefully) so we don't want to rebook.

We were pretty sure we'd still be in lockdown and be able to get a refund but now that the new rules are in place, I don't know if we are or aren't allowed to go.

AIBU to think we should be able to get our deposit back?

[ferretface]

Re Weston hospital, there is probably transmission occurring within the hospital, with patients being admitted and catching covid there and a good deal of transmission between staff. You can read between the lines of the press statement:

“Whilst the vast majority will have come into the hospital with Covid-19, as an extra precaution we have taken the proactive step to temporarily stop accepting new patients to maintain patient and staff safety."

I would sincerely doubt it has anything to do with tourism, Weston is a very fragile hospital at the best of times, prior to the merger with UHB earlier this year it was the smallest acute trust in the country. It's hard to run good services when they're so small for a variety of reasons.

[Ineedflour]

Cornwall will be open by July. The locals might not like it, but if it's legal to go, people will.

[Littlemissdaredevil]

Popped to a nearby beach yesterday. Lots of people acting completely normal and not social distancing. Public loos were open. I came out of the cubicle and went to the end of a empty row of sinks. The next person came out and stood at the sink next to me 6 inches away when there were other sinks further away they could have used. There were few places open to get ice cream and or a drink but everywhere else was shut. I didn’t go one he beach as it was rammed.

[justasking111]

With people defecating everywhere the next scare will be typhus.

[GinnyStrupac]

National Park rather than beach, but since Boris approved it many people are driving miles and miles to get here and are parking, toileting and shopping where they can and often where they shouldn't, as reported daily by local police, councils, shopkeepers and residents - the through traffic didn't stop until quite late yesterday evening from early morning and we've probably got months of it to come when the weather is ok or good, unless he tightens the rules again, probably because of a rise in the R number.

[sunglasses123]

Thing is why on earth would people drive miles and miles and hours and hours to go somewhere that has little parking?

They cannot stay overnight although I do understand some people are staying in their cars (gross!) and that can be easily dealt with. Caravans are less easy but again a caravan parked up after say 2100 is normally planning to stay overnight.

Those people can be fined. I think those people getting bladdered on beaches are just vile but we have a big drinking issue in this country - that is another thread I guess

[justasking111]

They were having the vapours seeing folk on the beach in Wales, all local but that does not matter apparently.

[sunglasses123]

Cornwall in particular have been very vocal by telling people to stay away and being aggressive. My SIL who lives down there had her car damaged because someone thought she wasnt local. A note was left on her windscreen.

I also think the people visiting beaches are locals. I live 100's of miles away so why would I drive all that way with no parking to potentially have my car damaged. However I saw a much more gracious response from the tourist board in Scarborough who said please please dont come when we arent looking our best but they would love to welcome visitors when its safer.

I think people will have long memories and when things get back to normal would Cornwall and Devon be on the top list of places to visit. I am not sure bearing in mind their attitudes.

[Ihaventgottimeforthis]

Ginny the impression I've got from where I live, in a coastal town in SE Cornwall, is that BH Monday was as busy as ever on the beach, with mostly locals.
So even if many people are choosing to stay home, there are enough people out and about to make car parks, shops, beaches etc busy.
People just aren't wandering the streets in tourist towns, because there's nothing to browse and nowhere to sit and drink.

[justasking111]

We have had a spike in N Wales apparently this virus moved from east to west so we were bound to be hit eventually. We have had a few people trying to get here second homes, but have not opened up so it seems unfair we are now being hit but we were warned many weeks ago it would eventually reach us.

[CountessFrog]

😁

[ToffeeYoghurt]

mrstreacle (I love treacle as much as toffee) I think you've got posts confused. I raised it as a potential concern.
Other people told me it wasn't anything to worry about because (their words) it was always closing. I don't live there so I trusted their local knowledge. Clearly there's disagreement amongst locals. I'll leave it to them to argue it out or make up.

I'm off to look for some online info on the history of Weston. Any book recommendations appreciated.

[mrstreacle]

Don't know why ToffeeYoghurt thinks Weston General closing is nothing to worry about as A and E is always closing. It's not just A and E, it's the entire hospital and I've heard today that over 40% of the staff have tested positive as well. That means that anyone needing hospital treatment will have to go to the only two other hospitals in the area, Bristol or Taunton. Up till now we've had very few cases in Somerset but it's increasing from what it was. Weston have gone from 30 positive patients to over 60 in the last few days which is a hell of a lot for a small hospital

[MuthaClucker]

The impression I get is that locals are now avoiding being out and about during the visitor hours

That makes sense.

[Daffodil101]

Which is their choice.

[GinnyStrupac]

The impression I get is that locals are now avoiding being out and about during the visitor hours.

[ToffeeYoghurt]

@SparkyTheCat
Local hospitals being unable to cope isn't unique to beauty spots. It happened in London. A hospital in NW London had to close it's A&E to new patients.

The government is currently allowing international and regional travel. So some people will travel.

The vast majority mingling on beaches will, however, be locals.

[Daffodil101]

I’ve got a family friend who is a famous politician, another who is a leading scientist, one who is a top virologist.

They all say 2022 just to be on the safe side.

[GinnyStrupac]

The advice we have just received from a family friend who is a very experienced epidemiologist is not to book anything until next season - ie from April 2021. It might be allowed to book or to go before then, but the situation is too much of an unknown to be able to rely on being able to go, and it might well not be wise (or welcomed by local residents and services) to go even if allowed.

[SparkyTheCat]

@JustStayHome it's not just about visitors falling ill while on holiday, it's about them infecting locals who don't have any choice but to then use the small local hospitals

[Daffodil101]

The closing of accident and emergency in Weston is linked to tourism and day trippers how?

Because day trippers don’t catch a virus and get sick that day. And if they DO present to Weston, it’ll be because it’s their local hospital.

Not everyone with covid presents at hospital. Those who do, presumably, are more poorly. This means they are probably older. Seaside towns often have more elderly residents. So it follows that they may see spikes of increase in admissions.

Spikes can happen anywhere.

[JustStayHome]

#For those that live there and are saying that the hospitals wont come etc....#

For those that live there and are saying that the hospitals wont be able to cope!!!

[JustStayHome]

For those that live there and are saying that the hospitals wont come etc....

Dont worry...
These people should be home before they need life saving treatment from an already over streatched NHS......

[ToffeeYoghurt]

Well people on another thread are saying it's nothing to worry about as that hospital is apparently always closing it's A&E.
What the truth is I don't know.

[Jaxhog]

My holiday in isles of scilly is for first week July.

Don't forget you'll have to go by ferry or plane to get there. I wouldn't.