How come Cornwall's doing so 'well'?

[Pickles89]

I don't want to jinx it, and believe me I'm not complaining, but how is it that (so far!) Cornwall's escaped so lightly? I think there've been a total of 19 Covid19 deaths in the county? I know we're very rural here but it's an aging population, lots of interaction with extended families (grandparents caring for their grandchildren etc) and generally people are very sociable within their small communities. Besides what about all those second homers who are supposed to have swarmed down here from London? How come they didn't all bring it with them? I also know many local families where one parent travels 'upcountry', if not abroad, on a regular basis for work. How come they didn't bring it back with them before the lockdown, pass it to their children, their children spread it round school and the whole thing exploded locally? It's not like we're renownd for our exceptional healthcare provision.

Not sure but let’s hope it stays that way OP! Treliske is always stretched as it is and we both know what it’s like in the summer months!
I guess there will always be a lower risk of transmission here, to a point. Not as many flats, with communal entrances, commuting tends to be by car, cycling or walking. Not sure!
I don’t think the care homes have done so well though, sadly and those numbers aren’t reported...

I don’t think the care homes have done so well though, sadly and those numbers aren’t reported...

That's true. But how is it that the carers don't seem to be catching it/spreading it, which you would think was inevitable.

I suppose one other thing is that smoking is far more unusual here. That can only help! Also a (generally speaking) more laid back, low stress lifestyle.

I live in Cornwall and people have been observing the rules as far as I can tell, the beaches have been empty and there is hardly any traffic. I hope it continues because Treliske struggles at the best of times.

The South-West in general is doing well. Whooopeee From Dorset!!!

I think in the case of Cornwall, the virus isn't spreading it's so bloody difficult for anyone to get anywhere.

Lack of 5G masts - it's obvious

Also in the SW here and my area has low cases too. Unsure...we're in commuting distance to London as well so thought would have been higher.

Yes I think people are pretty much complying here too. I drove through Truro to drop some shopping to my parents and it was dead. Very few cars on the road too. We also have the benefit of open spaces to exercise...

I know this doesn’t make a huge difference but I guess that every little bit helps to slow the spread and stop transmission...

Is it an older population who self isolated quickly? My family are in Devon and they did it as soon as it was mentioned.

The stats only Include those who sadly die in hospital as opposed to home or carehomes - I wonder if there’s any relevance, in fewer people getting to hospital so deaths not classified as covid?

Somerset here and I just wondered whether we are simply a few weeks behind London. Plus lower population and more space between houses etc.

I should imagine when this is all analysed, it will be the areas with the fewest skiing trips to Northern Italy that will fare best.

I'm in mid Wales and we're doing well here too. Lockdown has happened far earlier in our curve and I really hope we escape the worst.

It's less well populated. A big problem in London is over intenification of residential space. For example, the footprint of a block of flats in London may hold 100 people on that space with no gardens so need to go to outside public spaces for fresh air.
The same footprint in Cornwall will be two homes with gardens occupied by probably 4 people max.

Somerset here too. People round here do tend to be sensible and are sticking to the rules. I live in a small village though.

Low population, and population density, low population mobility (compared to huge numbers of people commuting in/out of big cities)

All of that plus the fact that social distancing and quarantine measures were put in place nationally, not regionally, at the "right time" for the country as a whole. At that point the virus had hardly begun to get a grip in some regions.

I guess the lockdown happened earlier in the curve.

lack of tourists/visitors - low density population - no major cities -spread out poor public transport -lots of space to walk away from each other - very few flats or houses of multiple occupation (?) - not much industry or companies with large number of workers
happenstance -some of these mean cause problems under normal circumstances but because of the strange world we are in now they have become positive attributes

Low density, dispersed population, low use of public transport, low commuting numbers.

From what I've observed people are complying with the rules. Beaches and coastal paths are quiet. Towns are deserted.

We just need the second homers to stay away and for the AirBnB people to keep their properties off the market.

I should imagine when this is all analysed, it will be the areas with the fewest skiing trips to Northern Italy that will fare best.

Early cases in Cornwall were indeed linked to ski trips.

It's still early. The second homers only came down at mother's day weekend. It's too soon to say you're safe.

Lower density and little public transport. I have a horrible feeling that were it ever provable an incredibly high number of London deaths will be linked to the transport system. 3 London bus drivers drivers died recently. Not that they were the source, but I’d envisage that 90%+ of Londoners have either been on a bus or been within transmissible contact with someone who has since just before lockdown.

I'm in Cornwall too. I wonder if it's easier to distance yourself whilst exercising in a lot more places than cities, I've not had many issues yet. There are also many beauty hotspots whereas in cities there are fewer so loads of people flock to them. There is also less public transport here and I wonder if that has a big impact.

Low population density and relatively low mobility over the winter months. The exact same reason that it has been noted that ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented among the infected - they are more likely to live in urban environments where they come into contact with more people more frequently. There is nothing amazing about Cornish genes and, given the limited medical facilities, it would be a disaster if coronavirus got out of hand in Cornwall,

@Etinox I think the number was 8 London bus drivers yesterday. Truly awful.

I don't think people are following the rules that well in my town in Cornwall, but there is probably still more space to spread out compared to a larger town/city.

I think compared to many areas of the country, very few people commute via public transport, which has got to be a factor.

I would also imagine we have had less people coming into Cornwall from China and Iran. I think most of the cases in Cornwall so far have been linked to Italian ski trips.

I also think less people work in large offices, more work for smaller businesses, so again it's getting passed around less that way. Probably more people than average for the UK work outdoors, as well.

However, we can't always trust the figures, as they are based on who is going into hospital, so it may depend on who is getting admitted to hospital as well.

I think at the moment, most of the hotspots in the UK do seem to be in cities, which is sort of the opposite of Cornwall (and much of the South West)!

@Genevieva that’s heartbreaking. 😞