People living in tourist spots should probably be concerned right now.

[MonkeyToesOfDoom]

Now that Boris has said people can drive for exercise and leisure, you know they'll flock to seaside's, lakes, peaks, etc.
Which means if they're carriers they'll be spreading the virus to petrol stations pumps, gates, railings etc.

I don't get the logic behind him saying that tbh.

I'll be going to the beach soon, not a major tourist hot spot, but locally. Drive there, park up, have a little stroll and back home.

I'm not hugely concerned about flocks of non-locals as there is almost nothing open at the moment apart from supermarkets. If we use the petrol station, which is about once a month at the moment, we can wear gloves. Then we will probably do what we do every summer to hide from the tourists - stay home.

But Belle Sausage, you talk about ‘the tourists’ As though we have no right to wander around our own country.

Have you never left your own town? Never been abroad?

Have you been to London? You have every right to visit any of these places under normal circumstances. You live on these islands. And yes, I know, it’s not normal right now, but your post is quite negative towards tourists full stop.

@BelleSausage

@serenada

What a short sighted and mean spirited thing to say. The countryside isn’t a theme park where all the residents are employees to serve tourists. It is a factory churning out food for the country. It is a work space for most who live there.

As is London.

Does your need to see a nice view Trump their need for food?

I think you are conflating two completely distinct and unrelated points in order to exaggerate a need in the vulnerable and position it against a choice in the healthy.

And it doesn't work.

I would love to go to the beach and can imagine everyone else feels the same. They’ll be heaving next weekend unless clear restrictions are put in place.

A lot of people don't live "4 hours" from the lakes. Many live much close, me included. I'm 45 mins away and I intend to go there to exercise.

Why the hell did they have 127 people at a funeral, and how is that linked to tourism?

When you go to a funeral, you tend to hug and kiss people. I don’t hug and kiss anyone on a day trip to the beach. It’s well known that mass gatherings are sources of spread.

I don’t see the link between these.

We had a lot of people turning up middle of last week, our shops cannot cope with the additional numbers coming in so once again many basics are gone. It took me 90 minutes to do a basic shop that even with social distancing/limited numbers in the shop in place the week before took me 30 minutes. Most food items I needed were out of stock.

I'm aware some farmers have taken things into their own hands blocking off mountain roads as people have begun using them as a way to avoid the police. In fact they're barely classed as roads and very dangerous to use unless you know what you're doing (think barely wide enough for a car to get down, no help in emergency as no signal and literally you can be mountains away from anyone else).

I can see both sides...if hi live somewhere rural touristy it must be v frustrating to be mobbed in a time where people are feeling scared and vulnerable.

However it's not your beach/lake/mountain etc. All you can hope is people behave respectfully. Drove to the peak district today from major northern city (30 mins) and walked for 2 hours down deserted paths...it was raining and freezing to be fair! However the dirty looks we got from some busybody when we stopped outside her house was something else.

Those of us who live in cities welcome visitors and actively encourage them as we recognise how they contribute. Citizens of Devon and Cornwall would do well to remember the same....I've been put off visiting them due to their hostility and insularity that I've seen on here and other forums since this all kicked off. Puts me off going tbh.

Why are day trippers doing their shopping in the local supermarket?

Last time I went to the beach, I nipped into Morrison’s for four ice creams. I didn’t stock up on Fairy Liquid and Heinz Beans.

I think a lot of people will be put off returning to many ‘touristy’ areas any time soon, even if lockdown ends, given the vitriol towards anyone from an urban area from so many people living in ‘touristy areas’. I’ll certainly prioritise spending my money locally to help the urban economy to recover.

A few months ago I was talking to friends about planning trips later this year. Everyone felt sorry for the people relying on tourism. None of us want to go now. We are a group of 12 friends and normally at least 6 of us do a weekend trip somewhere every month - so each person maybe six trips a year. We never went abroad. Usually hired a cottage. Always bought our supplies locally or ate in nearby pubs and restaurants.

I’ve worked out that almost half my disposable income was spent in rural areas last year, excluding travel costs. Hadn’t realised how much I spent elsewhere until lockdown. Sad though it is, I no longer feel welcome in those places - so it’s unlikely I will return with any regularity even when COVID is long gone.

@Daffodil101

I’ve been to loads of places in the UK- before Corona.

I wouldn’t go now because that would be extremely selfish.

So, one asymptomatic person goes to the village shop and passes it on to one of the staff who then pass It on to multiple customers who then take it home to their relatives.

That’s how you get 125 infections from one selfish act.

You are hilarious Belle Sausage.

I might selfishly take my dog for a walk on the beach tomorrow, no doubt infecting 127 people and leaving them short of basic provisions.

In some alternative universe.

@MMN123

really? You’ll give up going to Cornwall forever just because it has been suggested that it was selfish to go now and spread a possibly deadly disease.

Honestly, the entitlement.

Belle can you provide a news article for that claim? My short Google has only found a (recent) BBC report that referred to a funeral during the Ebola crisis where over 100 people were infected by a chain from one person. (Which, sadly, is the usual spread of Ebola)

Those who don't mind risking it will try and go, those who are risk averse will stay at home.
I do feel sorry for those who are infected through family members (same household) or for the people who have to work with the public.

Also agree with @serenada

@Daffodil101

Look, I know you have form for this.

The truth is that any action we take as an individual in this situation has massive long term implications for other people.

You can choose to behave responsibly or you can choose to be selfish.

Boris made it clear that if the R increases above 1 then he’ll pull us all back into a tighter lockdown. Choosing to possible spread the virus beyond your immediate areas is going to make that happen quicker. If you want out of lockdown then stay home.

And you do know that catching it from a inanimate object is highly unlikely and even if you do the viral load would be so low as you’d not get symptoms or have just very mild ones

Zero evidence for that theory, current thinking is the severity of the illness is due to the bodies immune system response, too little virus increases, too much and damage can occur to other organs.

Allowing unfettered access to popular areas is stupid, did we learn nothing from what happened leading up to lockdown? so expect the R value to around 2 in a months times.

I wish Cornwall and Devon would devolve too at this rate. They so want to protect their borders from us dirty out of towners

I live in Devon and judging by the posts on local facebook groups they are savaging dirty locals who even dare look at a beach so we're all in the same boast tbh.

@MMN123

I agree. And I also buy locally to support the local community even though it is usually more expensive. That will end.

Yes we want and need visitors and though they can sometimes be annoying we welcome them.

But we do not have the medical capacity for covid-19. We simply don't.

The only hospital in my county has less than 40 beds. Five of which are intensive care. That's it. One consultant. Most of our GP surgeries were closed before covid, many that were left have also been closed as they were manned by a single gp who has been drafted elsewhere. we've a population of around 150,000 at least.

You get ill here you will be sent hours away for treatment. Just like we are.

We don't have free hospital transport anymore, so you get ill and need emergency treatment you'll get taken by ambulance to the tiny hospital and transferred by private transport elsewhere and it costs hundreds of pounds just like everyone who lives here.

That's rural healthcare.

Every winter clinics and services are closed because of flu. Every winter. No exception for years. They were due to restart operations and clinics end of March but didn't. People have been having appointments put off here since last September.

Rural means different things to different people.

@abraid and others who won't be returning to the west country because of the 'vitriol'.

Even if what you are saying is true, and I don't believe it is, then you are plonkers.

Daffodil - to save the 1.5hour line up for Costco, I imagine? Certainly the case here. It was far nicer for folk to come out for the day and shop in a small town supermarket than snake round an urban car park with a trolley waiting for their turn. Lining up in the mountains was much nicer. God knows. I wish I did.

However it's not your beach/lake/mountain etc. All you can hope is people behave respectfully.

I live right by a local beauty spot. Its not the Lakes etc, but its always popular for walks.

For the last two weeks its certainly not been 'mine'. By Wednesday things had got so bad, we said we had to avoid going anywhere near it (which is easier said than done), because people were being so inconsiderate and ignoring social distancing.

My only hope, from a very selfish point of view, is that these idiots will now fuck off to somewhere further afield (sorry to everyone that passes the problem to) and the problem doesn't get worse otherwise I'm going to be pretty limited as to where we can walk to from our own front door and whether we can shop locally.

A lot of other locals have been very frustrated by the last week and have felt under siege.

Tbh, for this reason its why, I'm not going to travel further afield to other places as I know how shit it is.

I think the hope that people will act considerately is a rather desparate one unfortunately.