To say please don't go to your second home

[Beesisabuzzin]

With talk of London going into lockdown tomorrow can I remind second home owners that Cornwall has one hospital. Devon has four hospitals. Where I live in Devon there is no food in any of the supermarkets. Please, please stay away, our communities cannot deal with an influx.

My in laws live in Cornwall. If MIL catches this we will lose her. I’m terrified for her and would happily throttle the idiots who will be putting her in more danger by heading off on holiday right now.

Couldn’t agree more! Thank you for starting this thread op. I hope people listen and stay put.

I think it might be too late. I work in a wealthy area of London and my clients were already preparing to go to their second homes last week.

Norfolk doesn't want you here at the best of times

Another Cornish maid here agreeing.

Dorset too. The three houses next to my parents are all second homes of Londoners

I agree with you completely, but judging by how selfish people have been stripping the shelves I doubt people will be sensible enough to just stay put.

Al1 yes I saw Look East yesterday and thought it was irresponsible.

They interviewed a couple from London who'd gone to their second home in Southwold because social distancing by the sea is more pleasant.

@peanutbutterandfluff

FFS. Are these people stupid as well as selfish? The hospitals aren’t going to be able to cope there and they won’t be able to come running back to London when they are seriously ill and London is on lockdown. I despair!

And yes, our only hospital has spent most of the winter on Black alert. It can't cope under normal circs

Agree and government needs to force caravan parks to close. Haven and Parkdean still open. Absolutely appalling.

Absolutely this! I live in Cornwall.. it’s worrying.

Same in Dorset. Please stay where you are people it's hard enough for us rural locals already without an influx of others

Also don't come to Somerset either! There is still some flood water, over stretched healthcare, large elderly population, little public transport & food shortages. Stay away please!

I am a member of a holiday cottages with dogs group on FB. Idiotically they are still freely advertising holiday homes mostly in Cornwall or Lake District with 'unexpected Easter cancellations ' .

We were due to have a family gathering at the Lake District at Easter. Luckily the holiday company- big call out to cottages.com - has let people postpone for up to a year so I've moved to October in the hope we'll be back to some sort of normal by then.

Sadly I think Boris will have to impose an official lockdown and ban on unnecessary travel. It's the only way as people don't seem to be grasping the implications of this and acting responsibly.

London is overwhelmed in terms of food shortages so I'd quite like people to ship out to villages like mine (pretty seaside village with lots of second homes), so that my DC (incl two working in the NHS) up in London can get essential supplies. London hospitals are far busier than the RD&E and Derriford etc so actually maybe spreading that load wouldn't be such a terrible thing. OP you're thinking about yourself as much as these people - people in the West Country have it easy right now.

I can understand why people are doing this. They feel that if they have to go into lockdown they'd rather be somewhere less crowded so they can exercise easily.

London is going to be very restricted, if I lived there and had a cottage elsewhere I'd decamp with my family. They pay rates for local services as well.

I'm not in Cornwall but I have relatives there, two work in that one hospital.

One worked in A and E until a couple of years ago, she hardly ever got to eat the lunch she took in and that was before this.

London for all its faults has some superb hospitals.

Think about every post apocalyptic film you have ever seen. It always starts with people fleeing nad never ends well.

I'd quite like people to ship out to villages like mine (pretty seaside village with lots of second homes), so that my DC (incl two working in the NHS) up in London can get essential supplies.

Thanks, there's fuck all left to buy down here as it is.

goodbyestranger Cornwall has one hospital and it doesn't cope well at the best of times, nothing to do with the staff, it's just not big enough for the entire county it serves. Plus the infrastructure there (road system for one) is not set up for a mass influx of people, especially not people who could become very ill.

of course they will go to them - your pleading will fall on deaf ears. The majority of people with second homes have tiny places in London and spacious places elsewhere so with the prospect of being stuck with kids indoors for months, I can see why they would go. I don't think people will knowingly think they are spreading it either - they will just move to what is most convenient for them

as someone said above, look what happened in Italy and France. The minute they announced the lockdowns would be happening, everyone jumped in their cars and on the trains to head out

I have family on Anglesey, near Beaumaris. The second homers have arrived in droves, the selfish pricks. I really hope the locals ostracise them.

@goodbyestranger I understand the motivation but to say people who are currently living in the most infected part of the country, ie London should decamp to areas of the UK with less confirmed cases but who have a disproportionately elderly population who are the ones who are mostly likely to be very ill/die from this virus is highly selfish & irresponsible.

Seconded - don't come to Cumbria. We've not really got a huge hospital capacity here and if you're in the middle of the National Park an ambulance will take a long time to reach you if you need one.

Every hospital everywhere is going to be overwhelmed. Including in cities. And supply chains will need to be managed everywhere. So neither is a rationale for people not to decamp. Some families are splitting the at risk from the essential workers - so some go to second home and others stay in London - to avoid doctors contaminating their families. Entirely reasonable. Don’t be so selfish and stop blaming Londoners - the hospitals will be overwhelmed with or without them and the shelves will be empty regardless.