... BUT ARE MOST BRITONS FINALLY GETTING THE MESSAGE?
PICTURES of popular British tourist spots just seven days apart show that the nation is finally getting the message to stay home in order to save lives.
Last weekend, Boscombe seafront in Bournemouth was packed with people who had flocked to the beach to soak up the good weather.
Groups of teenagers, families and adults were seen in huts lining the promenade, with some local residents blasting the daytrippers for “behaving like it is holiday season”.
But yesterday the same site was virtually empty, as only a handful of strollers and joggers visited the area.
East London’s Columbia Road Flower Market attracted widespread criticism last weekend after drawing large crowds despite – calls from Prime
Minister Boris Johnson to avoid public spaces and practice social distancing.
A week later, the usually bustling street was deserted, with the market now closed until further notice.
Richmond Park lay eerily quiet yesterday, after pictures emerged last week of crowds gathering at the south London beauty spot.
There were also long queues of traffic, which caused the Royal Parks Police to warn on Twitter: “Yesterday (March 21) saw large crowds in @theroyalparks but not much evidence of social distancing.
“This is not a bank holiday weekend. Please follow the advice of the Government and avoid large and small gatherings in public spaces.”
Takeaway cafes and kiosks in the park were closed as a result, but yesterday it seemed that the message finally sunk in as lockdown enters its second week.