British overrun beaches – health minister threatens to face consequences
– –
| Reading time: 3 minutes
video-element " data-qa="VideoElement">
Thousands of tourists crowd the beaches of the south coast
– –
With 34 degrees and bright sunshine, thousands of day tourists traveled to the beaches on the south coast of England. In Bournemouth, the police spoke of a “major incident”, media reported “anti-social behavior”.
– –
–
At 34 degrees, day trippers frolicked up close to Bournemouth beach. In the evening, football fans celebrated in Liverpool without following any corona rules. The British government is now warning that the virus does not allow exceptions.
– – –
DBritish Health Minister Matt Hancock has threatened to close beaches for failure to comply with corona regulations. “The last thing people want is for the virus to come back,” Hancock told the broadcaster TalkRadio. The rules on social distance would have to be observed and a second pandemic wave prevented.
The virus does not care whether it is exceptionally a hot summer day. If the number of cases increases again, the government will act – even if Hancock said that it wanted to avoid beach closures. “We can’t go backwards … we have to stop this disease.”
Britain is the country in Europe that has been hardest hit by the corona pandemic. 308,000 people have been officially infected, and the authorities have registered over 43,000 deaths. Only recently Prime Minister Boris Johnson lifted the strict contact restrictions in parts: on July 4, hairdressers, restaurants and pubs can finally open again – in Germany this has been the case since the beginning of May.
also read
– – – – –
However, what happened on Wednesday in Bournemouth, southern England, may have caused sweat beads on the forehead responsible – and not only because of the heat wave that has dominated the United Kingdom for two days.
In the early morning, British TV stations showed pictures of the local train station, where thousands of people oozed from the trains and the platforms were full of day tourists. Drivers had to wait up to two hours to get into the city. Many Britons are still exempt from work or on short-time work. And quite a few of them apparently used the good weather at 34 degrees to go to the coast.
A little later it was so crowded on the beach that even with aerial photos there was little sand to be seen. The police spoke according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail” from a “major incident”, a “major incident” because the situation was no longer manageable. This gives the emergency services more rights and coordination options. Numerous officials were deployed and asked people to stay away from the resort and its beaches.
– –
It was tight in the water …
Quelle: Getty Images
– –
– –
… the umbrellas were crowded …
Source: dpa
– –
– –
… and even from the air there was hardly any sand left.
Quelle: Getty Images
– –
British newspapers, radio and TV stations also reported “anti-social” behavior. Binge drinking, wrangling, illegal parking and tons of garbage (33 to be exact) were complained of. Quite a few Britons were obviously so determined to finally have a good time on the water that they arrived a day before and then illegally pitched their tents at the sea to secure the best places.
“Just shocking …”
The British BBC quoted Council President Vikki Slade said: “We are horrified by the scenes that have taken place on our beaches, particularly in Bournemouth and Sandbanks, in the past 24 to 48 hours. The irresponsible behavior and actions of so many people is simply shocking. “
At this point you will find content from Twitter
In order to interact with or display content from Twitter and other social networks, we need your consent.
–
– – –
And resident David Morley, who lives on the Sandbanks peninsula, popular with tourists, shocked the BBC reporter: “What we saw here was a complete breakdown, the disappearance of normal decent behavior and law and order – the system became just washed away! “
Day trips are allowed within England even in the Corona crisis. People from the metropolis of London are particularly drawn to the coast.
Elsewhere, many Britons paid little attention to the ban on assembly on Thursday: Thousands of people celebrated winning the Liverpool football championship, which is coached by Jürgen Klopp, at Anfield on Thursday evening.
– –
Liverpool fans have been waiting for the title to win the title for 30 years – and the Coronavirus did not let them celebrate
Source: AFP / OLI SCARFF
– –
In London, the police were attacked for the second time in a row when an illegal street party was dissolved. Wales also reported crowded beaches and a mass brawl at the coastal village of Ogmore-by-Sea with injuries.
As the weather is expected to deteriorate in parts of the country, the authorities expected the situation to ease over the weekend.
/nginx/o/2023/12/04/15761001t1h2687.jpg)
