Police visit Lismore property over lockdown concerns
Police cracking down on suspected lockdown breakers have been to Lismore, writes Kathie Griffiths.
Officers called at a property on the island on Saturday, a day after Marks & Spencer chairman and former Tory MP Archie Norman dismissed rumours he and his family had arrived after lockdown.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘On Saturday 11 April 2020, officers attended at a property on the Isle of Lismore and reiterated crucial advice to the occupants about the current restrictions in place to stay indoors, take pressure off the NHS and save lives.
‘The legal instructions on not leaving your home without a reasonable excuse apply to everyone and social distancing is the key intervention to curtail the spread of coronavirus. It is vital everyone adheres to these requirements and does their duty during this public health emergency.’
Police said no fine was handed out in this instance.
Following local speculation and a call from The Oban Times, a M&S spokeswoman said Mr Norman had not travelled to the island and was fully aware of the restrictions.
She said he had no plans to travel to Lismore but added his 35-year-old daughter was there self-isolating on medical grounds and that she had received permission [from her doctor] to make the journey with all the necessary paperwork to show on the ferry. When asked, the spokeswoman said no other members of the family were with Mr Norman’s daughter.
The Norman family have owned property and land on the island for more than a generation.
Between March 27 and April 9, Police Scotland has issued 47 fixed penalty notices to people failing to comply with lockdown regulations. CalMac has revealed it turned away 66 passengers in the last two weeks across its network.
Concerns have been growing on islands close to Oban and on the mainland about people still travelling to second homes and holiday houses.
Lismore Community Trust chairman Sebastian Tombs said people arriving on the island after lockdown was causing ‘a bit of heat’, adding: ‘People are feeling a little upset if new people arrive on the island and it has caused a bit of heat. We don’t have a doctor or nurse on the island. If we need to get medical help or care to sick people quickly, it’s an extra challenge for us.’
The island has set up an emergency response group and it has issued a statement pleading with second homers and off-island family members to stay away to keep Lismore safe. The group believes on April 8 there were 198 people on the island, with 25 adults and nine children among them who are not residents, adding: ‘It is up to individuals to behave responsibly to protect the whole community. The strain on emergency support, primarily the NHS, is vastly increased with more people on the island compared to our normal resident population. The threats should not be underestimated: limits on the number of ventilators in Oban, for example, mean that capacity is already stretched. And transport to Glasgow or other centres may be difficult due to a shortage of ambulances,’ said the group.