Posted 11:00AM 26th June 2020
Yesterday (Thursday 25th June), scenes like the ones below were unfortunately commonplace across coastal counties of the UK. In particular, towns of Bournemouth and Brighton were hardest hit by the surge of visitors. With such a huge number of people in a short space, it is almost impossible to observe social distancing.
Various tweets highlight the severity of the situation, with little social distance visible between one another. With hundreds of thousands of people sharing a very small space, it is near IMPOSSIBLE to socially distance.
The Bournemouth beach photos are alarming and depressing. Yes, the government’s dreadful pandemic response has its part to play, but this swarm of people are all aware of the risks and rules and chose to do this just to get a tan. We’re overrun by idiots. 😬 pic.twitter.com/2n2CZJCJvl
— 🕯️Debbie (@Omnishambles85) June 25, 2020
#SecondWave Bournemouth Beach #COVID19 UK pic.twitter.com/dK30Uo0vXb
— F (@Baanzeen) June 25, 2020
Following concerns raised, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, has warned that the government has power to close the beaches if folk can’t be sensible during their time at the beach and social distancing can’t be observed.
He states that if the number of cases of Covid19 increases again, the government will “take action”.
It is yet unclear just what this action may look like, however several have hinted that it may results in reduced visitor numbers or even closure of popular sections of beaches to help prevent further overcrowding.
The events yesterday and particularly on Wednesday night were also met with several arrests following antisocial behavior. A major incident was also declared in the Bournemouth area yesterday following the presence of large crowds of people.
As more Brits holiday at home due to necessity, perhaps we can expect more of the same this Summer. Perhaps it is time for measures to be taken to prevent overcrowding? Let us know what you think.