‘Major incident’ declared as huge crowds flock to English beach
POLICE in Bournemouth have warned people to stay away from the town in southern England after a “major incident” was declared because thousands ignored social distancing and flocked to local beaches on the UK’s hottest day of the year.
The declaration of a “major incident” by the local authorities gives additional powers to their workers and emergency services to tackle the problem.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council said services were “completely overstretched” as people sought the sanctuary of the seaside on a day meteorologists confirmed as the hottest of 2020.
The mercury hit 33.3C at Heathrow Airport.
Extra police patrols have been brought in and security is in place to protect waste collectors who the council said faced “widespread abuse and intimidation” as they emptied overflowing bins. Roads, gridlocked into the early hours, now have signs telling people the area is full, according to the council.
Council leader Vikki Slade said she was “absolutely appalled” at the scenes on the beaches – particularly at Bournemouth and Sandbanks over the past day or two.
“The irresponsible behaviour and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe,” she said. “We have had no choice now but to declare a major incident and initiate an emergency response.”
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave notice that a number of the lockdown restrictions in England would be eased from July 4, including allowing pubs and restaurants to open their doors. He also effectively announced the two-metre social distancing rule will be reduced to one metre, a move largely aimed at bolstering businesses.
The relaxation has met with a lot of criticism, not least because the UK is still recording relatively high new infections and deaths. The UK government said yesterday another 149 people who tested positive for the virus had died, taking the total to 43,230, by far the highest in Europe.
“We strongly advise members of the public to think twice before heading to the area,” said Dorset Police spokesman Sam de Reya. “Clearly we are still in a public health crisis and such a significant volume of people heading to one area places a further strain on emergency service resources.”
Meanwhile, the number of new coronavirus cases reported per day in the US hit more than 34,000 yesterday, just short of the all-time high reached in late April.
While greatly expanded testing probably accounts for some of the increase, experts say other measures indicate the virus is making a comeback. Daily deaths, hospitalisations and the percentage of positive tests have also have been rising.
Amid the disturbing new signs, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has pursued one of the most aggressive reopening schedules, began to backtrack. And Nevada’s governor ordered the wearing of face masks in public, Las Vegas casinos included.