Coronavirus: Tourists told not to flock to Cornwall, Scottish Highlands and other destinations to self-isolate

‘A national emergency is not an excuse for a holiday,’ says police chief

Would-be tourists are being urged to keep away from beaches and other holiday destinations in the UK to limit the spread of coronavirus.

It came as reports suggested that ministers’ pleas for Britons to avoid non-essential travel and practise social distancing were being widely ignored, with people heading outdoors to enjoy sunny weather on Saturday.

Similarly, on Friday night as pubs were ordered to close, Britons decided to spend one last night on the town before the country entered full lockdown.

Cumbria Police said on Saturday that despite government advice, the Lake District and other tourist hotspots in the UK were experiencing an “influx” of visitors.

The force has now urged people from outside its county to keep away, stating that the Lake District is “no longer conducting business as usual”, with pubs, restaurants and attractions advised to close.

And West Wittering beach in Chichester, southeast England, closed to the public after the number of visitors on Saturday “far exceeded” expectations, the estate owners said.

Meanwhile, the Visit Cornwall tourist board published a statement on Friday asking people to postpone their visits to a later date “despite the lack of clarity from government” around the situation.

In a statement on Saturday, Cumbria Police’s assistant chief constable Andrew Slattery said: “Whilst we are looking at all measures to limit the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus, I must urge people living outside the county not to visit.

“A national emergency shut-down of businesses and schools is not an excuse for a holiday.

“Cumbria County Council yesterday urged people to stay at home as far as possible to protect out NHS and save lives. I reiterate that advice and it is important that we all follow it.”

In a statement, Mr Slattery said public services within the county, located in north-west England, are resourced to serve its population of 500,000 and will be “stretched to breaking point” by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Large numbers of visitors will only place an additional burden on these hard-pushed professionals,” he added.

“These are unprecedented times and our first priority is the protection of life. People’s lives must come first.”

Elsewhere, the West Wittering Estate posted a message on its website to say its beach and car park would be closed as remaining open had “encouraged an unacceptable movement of people” into the local community.

“We understand that the restrictions imposed by the government make us an attractive option for exercise, dog walking, and socialising, but we cannot in good conscience remain open to the public,” it said.

There were similar problems in the Scottish Highlands.

Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party MP, tweeted that he had “been contacted by the Nevis Range Centre in Fort William who tell me that they have had to turn away around 30 camper vans, which had travelled from various parts of the UK, who were intending to use their car park as a refuge”.

“I urge everyone to do the right thing; follow the government advice and please do not travel here,” he added. “I cannot stress enough that this pattern of behaviour is irresponsible, counterproductive and must stop with immediate effect.”

On Friday, prime minister Boris Johnson ordered pubs and restaurants across the country to close in a bid to impact the infection rate by reducing “unnecessary” social gatherings by 75 per cent.

In a statement, the Visit Cornwall website posted: “Despite the lack of clarity from the government, Visit Cornwall is advising that visitors should not come to Cornwall at this time.”

Additional reporting by Press Association