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AIBU?

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Original poster

Seadide stupidly busy

576 replies

mummydoris2006 · 20/05/2020 16:22

I live in a seaside resort (Slegness) and today it is absolutely heaving with people. I understand new guidelines say you can drive and enjoy the beach etc for the day but people are really taking the Mickey!

The beach has human excrement on it, the queues for supermarkets are worse as people are queing hoping they can use the toilet and one person even knocked on a residents door and asked if his pregnant girlfriend could use the toilet. Upon being told no he told the homeowner they were out of order as she was pregnant and they'd drove from Essex.

I keep seeing threads where people that live by the sea etc are being slated for not welcoming visitors but the reality is due to the amount of people flocking to the coast we can't safely enjoy our own hometown, the streets are far to narrow to be able to stay 2m away from people with the influx of visitors.If any local dares to comment we are immediately hit with the "you wouldn't have jobs if it wasnt for us". Neither my own or any of my families jobs are tourist reliant and amazingly we manage to keep our economy going well enough during the winter months.

I understand people want a bit of normality and it's really hard on children but surely you should respect the place you visit and as people that live here all year round we should be able to safely enjoy our own hometown.

OP posts:
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FliesandPies · 21/05/2020 10:44

But they should be prepared for additional people. It’s completely unacceptable that they’re not. And if they’re saying they’ll only provide that infrastructure when there’s an opportunity to monetise visitors, that’s even more reprehensible

^^This

ITonyah · 21/05/2020 10:46

But they should be prepared for additional people. It’s completely unacceptable that they’re not

How? By magically making natural features like cliff paths wider to allow social distancing? To instantly find staff willing to clean the loos between uses while still maintaining social distancing?

FlamingoAndJohn · 21/05/2020 10:46

Johnson absolutely knew that people would head to the beaches and other beauty spots once he said you can travel to take exercise. We saw it before lockdown and the same dumb people would do it again.

ITonyah · 21/05/2020 10:47

Yeah, he's been shit tbf

Clymene · 21/05/2020 10:47

When were we supposed to prepare? With our redeployed staff and a week's notice? 

@Zomblie - really hope your holiday goes ahead Smile

FlamingoAndJohn · 21/05/2020 10:49

When were we supposed to prepare? With our redeployed staff and a week's notice?

And prepare what?

FliesandPies · 21/05/2020 10:51

How? By magically making natural features like cliff paths wider to allow social distancing? To instantly find staff willing to clean the loos between uses while still maintaining social distancing?

Presumably they already employ staff to clean the loos? Confused

The cliff path thing is just a nonsense. Most of the people will have walked to the beach from the car park anyway but even if they used a path, the chances of you catching CV from walking on such a path is tiny to the point of irrelevance.

FliesandPies · 21/05/2020 10:53

When were we supposed to prepare? With our redeployed staff and a week's notice?

The lack of notice was yet another highly negligent aspect of Johnson's announcement. However, that was a week and a half ago so they have had time since then to bring back redeployed staff and ensure facilites were open and sanitary.

XingMing · 21/05/2020 10:56

Toffee, yup...some (not all) fish really do eat shit. They cluster around the areas where sewage is pumped out. For fish, it's full of useful nutrients, and it's an essential part of the food chain, like worms in the soil. Nowadays (in Europe) it's generally treated rather than raw. Why else would an organisation like Surfers Against Sewage exist?

ITonyah · 21/05/2020 10:58

However, that was a week and a half ago so they have had time since then to bring back redeployed staff and ensure facilites were open and sanitary

Or you could just not go to the beach for a few weeks?

Alsohuman · 21/05/2020 10:58

When were we supposed to prepare? With our redeployed staff and a week's notice?

Presumably it didn’t take a week to redeploy them, why wouldn’t a week be sufficient to unredeploy them? I hate public sector bashing, but some councils are utterly bloody clueless at the moment.

Alsohuman · 21/05/2020 10:59

Or you could just not go to the beach for a few weeks?

You’ve just announced on another thread that your friend has found a secluded beach and you’re off any time now. So it’s only other people who have to stay away ....

EvilPea · 21/05/2020 11:04

Given that one main factor in the covid fight seems to be washing your hands. I’m not sure keeping toilets closed is that good an idea

Given people are travelling anyway and it’s not putting them off.

FliesandPies · 21/05/2020 11:04

Or you could just not go to the beach for a few weeks?

And again - Johnson's announcement made clear that people were allowed out, even encouraged to go out and get sunshine and fresh air.

ITonyah · 21/05/2020 11:08

You’ve just announced on another thread that your friend has found a secluded beach and you’re off any time now

If tourists can find a secluded beach, park sensibly, take their rubbish home with them and not shit on the beach, then they are welcome. Sadly the evidence is pointing to them not being able to do this.

Porcupineinwaiting · 21/05/2020 11:09

I'm guessing you dont employ staff @Alsohuman (well hoping actually)? There are things like risk assessments that need doing, work protocols to work out, ppe to source. Do you let your pregnant staff clean toilets? The ones with diabetes? Men over 50? The ones with a family member who's shielding? How often should said toilets be cleaned?

Are you encouraging more people to come by opening toilets? Do public toilets provide enough capacity, given that most visitors would usually use cafe and pub toilets as well?

Those with children will need time to sort out childcare - as the numbers of key workers increases finding school places for their children becomes harder.

It can be done but it shouldn't be rushed. Councils deserved a grace period to prepare and it might have been more sensible to let people move regionally to start with rather than giving carte blanche for people to head from Land's End to John O groats.

Alsohuman · 21/05/2020 11:13

There are things like risk assessments that need doing, work protocols to work out, ppe to source. Do you let your pregnant staff clean toilets? The ones with diabetes? Men over 50? The ones with a family member who's shielding? How often should said toilets be cleaned?

Last minuteism is endemic in local authorities, God knows I worked for them for long enough. Councils have known since 23 March that lockdown would come to an end sooner or later. That’s when they should have started planning. They’ve had the best part of nine weeks. How long do they need ffs? A bit less bureaucracy and a bit more can do is what’s needed. Particularly since some councils have managed it.

FliesandPies · 21/05/2020 11:15

If tourists can find a secluded beach, park sensibly, take their rubbish home with them and not shit on the beach, then they are welcome. Sadly the evidence is pointing to them not being able to do this

But you just said they shouldn't go for a few weeks. And surely that applies to you as well..otherwise that would just be massively hypocritical of you wouldn't it?

ruddynorah · 21/05/2020 11:16

You are supposed to have been preparing this entire time. Just as the Private sector have. So not everyone has been furloughed or redeployed because of course we have continued scenario planning, following other countries planning processes to get best practice solutions. We have been securing PPE and risk assessments for weeks, ready and prepared for a few days notice to reopen. A very different approach to sitting and waiting to be told what to do.

ITonyah · 21/05/2020 11:23

But you just said they shouldn't go for a few weeks

If they can't use their brains or cope without a loo!

Alsohuman · 21/05/2020 11:26

*But you just said they shouldn't go for a few weeks

If they can't use their brains or cope without a loo!*

It’s OK for you but not for the plebs, then.

FliesandPies · 21/05/2020 11:29

I fear you've been caught bang to rights ITonyah.

It's ok for you but not for others because you know how to find the secluded beaches and scummy stupid outsiders don't. Got it.

More importantly, where are you going to the loo at this secluded beach? Grin

BirdieFriendReturns · 21/05/2020 11:30

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/inews.co.uk/news/coronavirus-catch-outside-indoors-why-get-covid-19-explained-2848865%3famp

Jonathan Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, previously said the virus appears to spread less easily outdoors because of the ventilation factor.

Mr Van-Tam explained that normal breezes and air currents appeared to quickly disperse "any kind of plumes of anything" around us.

Dr Chris Smith, clinical lecturer in virology at the University of Cambridge, previously told the BBC the chances of Covid-19 transmission outside were "vanishingly small" because "the amount of dilution from fresh air is so high".

Porcupineinwaiting · 21/05/2020 11:32

I think you may find they've been a bit busy with more pressing matters @Alsohuman. Like arranging for the elderly to get food parcels, and deliveries of medication. Making sure things like waste collection keeps running, opening schools safely, managing parks and green spaces safely, oh yes and upping funeral and bereavement services and getting the crematoria to run overtime. And doing all of this with a reduced staff.

ITonyah · 21/05/2020 11:32

It's ok for you but not for others because you know how to find the secluded beaches and scummy stupid outsiders don't. Got it

Well, if you live locally this is an advantage, yes. I note that the "scummy, stupid outsiders" is your own addition.

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