Somerset in the time of Corona
Monday 23rd March 2020
EDIT: the holiday company I linked to has now contacted me to say they agree, they are taking that wording down and removing from the Visit Somerset website. This is great news, so I have removed the active link. I have asked them to now ask any guests they have, to leave today, even if this is part-way through their holiday. Sadly, it is partly because of the tactics of holiday firms, sites and agencies that we will soon have lock-down. But at least that advertising has been removed. The pressure DOES work, keep on!
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
I am breaking my blog famine with a plea to you, to help us here in the South West, and others in holiday hot-spots, notably Somerset, North Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, south, west and north Wales, the Lakes, the east coast, Yorkshire, and large areas of Scotland.
We are absolutely overwhelmed. 1000s of Covid-tourists have poured into Somerset from the end of last week, and over the weekend. The problem, obviously, is that sadly, so many people do not care about anyone else, feel entitled to a holiday, to use their caravan or holiday home, or rent a week or so away while the kids are off, the sun is out and so on. I do not think we can do anything about that, although I hope the government will legislate now.
But we can try and choke off the sources of accommodation. You can do that by finding (Google) big and small sites – typically static park homes, touring parks and camp sites. Then ring them and ask if they are taking bookings. If they are, explain why this is morally wrong. If you want me to ring them and explain, I will. You can email me, leave a comment here, or add me as a friend on Face Book (oh yes, NOW is the time to grab that social media nettle. I am not joking, we need the sane to be with us, so if you ‘don’t care for’ social media, just get over yourself right now and create an account), and I will guide you on lobbying resorts or do it for you. Once we are connected on FB – or Instagram – I will be able to focus your activity.
I have just found a local holiday cottage company (near Bath) that is actively advertising as a self-isolation refuge. Here it is. (edit: link removed). I have emailed them, and I telephoned, and left a message. They are just the tip of a very distasteful iceberg. They boast about how perfect their cottages are for self-isolation, a home away from home. There is so much wrong with this, and I am sure I don’t really need to explain it to you, but for the record, this is wrong because:
- isolation only stands a chance of working if we do it at home. This is simple. It is because most service provision, such as healthcare, is predicated on the numbers of people in the location where they are registered. To vote, for example, or see a GP. In the south west, we have non-tourist populations that are much lower than in holiday time. Our services are predicated on that smaller number, with a calculated gamble on there being manageable spikes in the summer. In a normal summer, this high-risk strategy always ends up stretching our low capacity to breaking point. If, in the Covid crisis, even 25% of these virus tourists become unwell while they are here, the NHS will collapse. 25% is a very conservative guess. It might be 80%+.
- there is limited shopping capacity. The holiday company above also says that local supermarkets will be able to deliver to the door for the holiday makers. We cannot hope to help the food supply chain remain resilient unless they have reliable data. Moving 10s of 1000s of people from location A (say, the West Midlands) to location B (say, Brean), will obviously overwhelm the 8 – Late Spa which is all the local, often elderly and non-mobile local residents have.
- they are a very serious contagion risk. Once here, they will not stay in their caravan or cottage. The pedestrian congestion at the seaside, on Cheddar Gorge and even on Mount Snowdon proves this. People who feel like they are on holiday, behave like they are on holiday. But if they were at home, they could occupy themselves with useful activities and be far more likely to stay in the house or garden. That is what we need everyone who isn’t at work, or going on essential business, to do.
So, as I know you are a normal person without staggering levels of cynicism, and you’re not a Corona tourist, I am begging you to help. By:
- add me on FB. I’ll tell you what to do. Or tell me of examples you have found, and I will deal with them.
- google local places or resorts you know and love; contact the sites and ask them for their policy. If it is: we are open but being careful, explain what is wrong with that. Ask them to close. We also need people who are already here in the middle of their holiday, to go home now. Second home owners must also go home, now.
- lobby your tourist info sites.
- lobby your MP.
- lobby your local Council.
- ring the local paper if you find somewhere that is making this into a marketing opportunity, and give them the story.
I am sending Newsletters once every week or so, with a free pattern. If you want to be on the list, or thought you were, tell me and I will add you. The next one will be in about 2 weeks. These letters are clutter free and not ranty, like this blog post.
Thank you for any help and support you can give.
I agree totally, the weekend was so busy here, the road outside was like the summer- thankfully since the Boris statement it’s become much quieter, as I sat outside today the buses were passing mostly empty, the people who obviously say it’s a nice day let’s pop to Sidmouth / Budleigh have decided not to and as a result it here it was more like living on a country lane. All our village camper Van’s appear to be correctly sitting outside the properties they belong to.
However I have been taking my exercise as Boris instructed i was allowed to, just once out of the house – since when I’m at work I’m constantly on my feet and at home there is knitting to do… I probably haven’t wandered round the village since granddaughter no 2 refused to go in her pushchair any more, but his week I have been out each afternoon for a wander. However I wonder if I need a t shirt printed that says I live here (but normally I’m at work at this time of day!) One lady asked me today if I’d come from the b&b (which is closed) my reply that i’d lived in the village for 22 years surprised her, “well I’ve never seen you before” was her reply….