Do we all just need to be more like the Cornish?

[User158340]

Cornwall in tier 1 and have coped admirably with the pandemic.

There's the perception that they're just much better rule followers in Cornwall, but is it just a better sense of community and they look out for each other more.

Is it wrong to say other parts of the country could learn a lot from Cornwall and the way the leaders and the people there have handled this pandemic?

It makes me wish MN local was a bit more active. I'd love to have a decent thread for people in Cornwall which isn't either "shall I move there?" or "horror at cream first scandal".

Totally agree.
Some people seem to think we all live like Doc Martin down here.

It’s because we do everything dreckly! Tier 2 will happen for us Cornish folk, just a bit later than everyone else.

There are lots of hospitals in Cornwall. Only one big one at Truro. But to say there’s only one is a big misleading.

MIL lives in North Cornwall, which is at least 1hr 15 mins from Truro, so she goes to Barnstaple as her main big hospital.

I’m obsessed with Cornwall it’s so beautiful and the people are ace.

Did not get to visit this year as I knew it would be crowded, fingers crossed for next year.

Dobby, isn't the difference that there are lots of hospitals for Cornwall, but only one actually in Cornwall? ( Disregarding the cottage hospitals...ours was closed overnight for months, so they could deploy staff to St Austell...and you still have to "book in"... No turning up on spec saying you feel ill or have broken your leg)

There's other factors as well like population density. I don't buy the argument of 'well it's by the sea'. So is Hull.

Hull is a large city with the sea on one side. Cornwall has sea in three sides of it and a lower population density. Having been to both Hull and Cornwall being close to the sea is where the similarity starts and ends. They don't really have anything else in common with each other

@FuzzyPuffling

Dobby, isn't the difference that there are lots of hospitals for Cornwall, but only one actually in Cornwall? ( Disregarding the cottage hospitals...ours was closed overnight for months, so they could deploy staff to St Austell...and you still have to "book in"... No turning up on spec saying you feel ill or have broken your leg)

Yes, possibly. But other parts of the country have that situation in rural places.

All I know is MIL had way more cases last week than us up the road. We are tier 2 now.

"I live in Cornwall. Have you ever been there? It takes absolutely ages to get to and it surrounded on three sides by sea, so harder for covid to get in. It doesn't really have much in the way of cities, its only city is more like a medium sized town, so population density isn't as much an issue. It's also very white and relatively wealthy, a 'second homes' kind of place, although there are certainly pockets of extreme deprivation as well and a large elderly population.

We also have only one main hospital for the whole county. I am fully expecting to be put into tier 2 on the 16th when they review it. If not then, then post Christmas.

In terms of masks most people do wear them ins hops but I have seen loads of groups of teens and young people gathering before lockdown totally shitting all over the rule of 6. I don't think the Cornish are magically more rule abiding than other people, it's due to the factors above combined."

This makes sense, thanks. I read an article recently about how well they'd followed the rules there compared to other areas and the local leaders had done such a good job getting the messages across and other areas could learn much from Cornwall. Then i'd seen today they'd be placed in tier 1 which bore that out.

"I think we can overlook the affect demographics, topography and density plays in this pandemic"

I see what you did there @User158340

I don't know where you live in Cornwall @skedaddle but it is certainly not relatively wealthy. There is a massive divide between deprived areas and second home buyers.
And what has being white got to do with covid?

@Aerial2020

have you really missed the huge amount of press coverage relating to BAME people being more at risk from Covid?

Ok fair point.
But it still isn't relatively wealthy

Cornish here. I would say that when people in my circle show symptoms- they aren’t bothering to get tested because “it’s just a cold” (despite having temp etc!)

I think if mass testing was introduced you’d be surprised at how prevalent it is in the community.

@Aerial2020

"And what has being white got to do with covid?"

Really?

@MrsHarryKane

Cornish here. I would say that when people in my circle show symptoms- they aren’t bothering to get tested because “it’s just a cold” (despite having temp etc!)

I think if mass testing was introduced you’d be surprised at how prevalent it is in the community.

I think that’s more likely to be the true reason. After all if you are told it’s not prevalent in your area you will think it’s only a cold.

Also, if you have symptoms and the nearest test centre is 1.5 hrs drive away ( it is) , and you feel ill, you may be disinclined to struggle all the way there for a test.

Not me @Aerial2020. I quoted a pp and OP making dog whistle xenophobic comments

this whole thread is goady tbh.

Funnily enough I could make the EXACT same point in reverse about how we should learn from Africa and it's 'better sense of community' and slip in a dog whistle comment about how South Africa doesn't have black demographic 'purity' and look at how badly they're doing compared to Ghana.

Maybe it's the brown people's fault....
(sarcasm)

I'm lost now and leaving

Watching Jeremy Vine now, they asked this question. A caller from Cornwall rang in to say it was because the Cornish have been doing a good job as keeping the virus out, they have been behaving much better!!!

WOW

@DobbyTheHouseElk oh wow that’s embarrassing!

And it isn’t even true...... 😂 there’s been lots of rule breaking.

The caller in question probably works at Cornwall Live - they actively try and cause anger between locals and non locals. Anything for a news story....

I wouldn't say Cornwall is relatively wealthy quite the opposite. Ok there's patches of wealth but that's the same has any county / part of the country.

In fact we are one of the poorer counties especially as we relied a lot on EU funding

Definitely a poor county on the whole. There is little industry and we rely on seasonal summer trade to boost the winter months, which hasn't really happened this year.

There was an interesting map on the BBC I saw earlier showing where rates had increased/decreased over lockdown. Lower tier areas nearly all had rates that were increasing whilst higher tier areas had decreasing rates.

[quote MrsHarryKane]@DobbyTheHouseElk oh wow that’s embarrassing!

And it isn’t even true...... 😂 there’s been lots of rule breaking.

The caller in question probably works at Cornwall Live - they actively try and cause anger between locals and non locals. Anything for a news story....[/quote]
That might explain it. I was staggered. But when I went to Cornwall in October half term, someone told me it was due to the high levels of UV that was keeping the virus away. Bonkers.

@DobbyTheHouseElk I have to say (as a Cornish person) it’s probably reflective of the poor education and schooling that we have down here.....

Or perhaps the abundance of Doom Bar and Tarquins gin