Cornish tourist board urges people not to visit unless tested amid surge in cases

Holidaymakers should pre-book and test themselves extensively, says Visit Cornwall boss

Visitors enjoy Fistral Beach, Newquay, last week (Hugh Hastings/Getty)

The Cornish tourist board has urged people not to visit unless they have pre-booked and to test themselves extensively amid a spike in coronavirus cases in the county.

Visit Cornwall chief executive Malcolm Bell said visitors should aim to “treble their efforts as much as possible” with the hands, face, space guidance and try to remain outdoors.

It comes as the southwest county has seen a rise in cases in recent weeks after visitors flocked there for their summer holidays.

Figures calculated by the PA news agency using health agency data show both Devon and Cornwall have 500 cases or more per 100,000 people in the seven days to 18 August.

A week before, the figure was 300 or less per 100,000 people.

“We are asking people not to come unless they have booked ahead and request they take a lateral flow test before, during and after [their] stay so that [people] can be safe and help us to manage the current spike,” said Mr Bell.

On Monday, health officials said they were investigating 4,700 cases of coronavirus suspected to be linked to the Boardmasters festival, which took place nearly two weeks ago in Newquay.

The cases are spread across the country but around 800 are living in Cornwall, a council official confirmed.

Mr Bell said: “There is concern and most local residents will be happier in a week or so, when the peak season is over and an older demographic visits as there are too many occurrences of overcrowding in honey pots.

“We are asking visitors to look at visiting other parts of Cornwall.

“We have over 300 beaches and lovely parts that can cope with visitors.”

He added that the vaccination programme in the county was in “full flow” and asked people due to arrive to be patient with businesses who are short staffed and to book ahead with activities.

Mayor of Newquay Louis Gardner, who is also the Conservative councillor for Newquay Central and Pentire and owns a delicatessen in the town, said he had been speaking to other businesses this week and they believed the rise in cases was due to a number of different issues.

“We’re seeing a spike in Cornwall because we’ve got the highest number of visitors we’ve ever had,” he said.

“Our accommodation is at 100 per cent capacity, our hospitality venues are full, there’s no social distancing in place, but I think those factors added in all together are having an effect.

“It’s a perfect storm.”

A spokesperson for Boardmasters said the festival used the NHS Covid Pass app as a condition of entry to the festival or urged people to show proof of a negative test before entering and asked people to test themselves during the five-day event.

They added that more than 450 people tested positive and left the festival early or did not go in.

“No event is able to eliminate risk entirely and the latest Test & Trace data includes reported infections among the 76,000 people who visited the festival or related activities at Fistral Beach in Newquay and the wider area during the week of Boardmasters,” they said.

“We will continue to work with our public health partners to understand the extent to which attendance at the festival has contributed to the figures.”

Additional reporting by Press Association