Reluctant plea to stay away from resort
RECENTLY there has been a constant hum of ‘small town, stay home’ rhetoric both on social media and also, on occasion, in the print media.
This is driven by a small, but unfortunately vocal minority, pushing ‘stay away’ messages, often in response to very polite and reasonable requests for information and typically from the safety of their keyboards.
The majority of townsfolk genuinely appreciate tourists and totally understand how important the tourism industry is to the modern-day Whitby.
Admittedly, there is a lot of concern amongst the community, for the potential virus impact that an influx of day visitors could have.
In the weeks since Boris Johnson announced unlimited travel there has been a continuous up-tick in visitors to the town, causing an undercurrent of anxiety.
However, the majority of day visitors have been respectful and mostly stayed on the beaches. Just the odd one or two have caused some much-publicised concerns.
It is always attractive for people and the media to focus on the negative instances, whilst peaceful and responsible visitors go unnoticed.
An example of the generous spirit of the town is its businesses, most of which have been and are being massively impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
Even the medium-term prospects are very worrying, due to the impact of social distancing and anxiety in both guests and businesses.
The town loves its visitors and can’t wait to welcome them back when it can do so safely. Until then, we do reluctantly ask people who love Whitby to resist the temptation to come into the town. As soon as we can, we will welcome people with open arms. Safely.
From: Rupert Read, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of East Anglia. I FEEL compelled to write in defense of the Precautionary Principle, which has been misinterpreted by Bill Carmichael (‘Why it’s time to reopen schools for sake of our children’, The Yorkshire Post, May 22).
The Precautionary Principle is enshrined in EU decisionmaking processes when it comes to serious environmental and public health threats.
As a result of Brexit, its future in the UK is already in doubt with fears it could be degraded or disregarded completely. In fact, as the UK government has shown very little precautionary action over coronavirus, it is all the more important that correct interpretations are published now.
Mr Carmichael talks about the dangers of being struck by lightning for those who work outside or who enjoy outdoor pursuits, such golfers.
He states: “If we take the precautionary principle to its logical extreme, as I think we are in danger of doing, we should ban all these activities until we can reduce the 300,000 lightning strikes that happen in the UK every year to zero.”
Firstly, far from being
“in danger” of taking the Precautionary Principle to extreme, I don’t think it has being taken seriously enough in the last few months.
Had the Government heeded appeals from myself and my colleagues early in the current crisis, lives would have been saved.
Secondly, the principle isn’t about not taking action
– so stopping playing golf - it recommends not undertaking needlessly risky action when there is a good alternative.
In this example, you could check the weather forecast before you went to the golf course or, if you were outside and heard thunder, you would use your common sense and take shelter inside. in their immediate locality is less clear. Statistics on Covid-19 prevalence and reproduction rate (R) vary widely across the country. The Government announcement that schools may open from June 1 should be interpreted as a permission and not an instruction, similar say, to meeting one other person in an open space. Schools are keen to re-open. And they will. Trust them to do this in the safest way and at the safest time.
From: NJP Artridge, Attercliffe Road, Attercliffe, Sheffield, THERE is a danger that many public libraries will be opening without adequate equipment, supplies, and policies to keep library staff and patrons safe. But more importantly, they are not involving the front line staff in formulating these plans.