Did the Bournemouth Beach Crowd Spread the Coronavirus?

It’s been a month since thousands of people flock to Bournemouth Beach on the warmest weekend of the year.

A picture of a crowded beach-when more than 100 people per day are still dying at Covid-19-was concerned about the spread of the virus following the relaxation of lockdown rules in early June.

June 25 Bournemouth, Christchurch, Pool Council proclaimed “serious incident”-The leader, Vicki Slade, said the authorities were “absolutely horrified by the scenes witnessed on our beaches.”

Did the case have spikes?

Monthly statistics do not suggest a significant increase in coronavirus cases.

However, it is increasing slightly.

• During the week leading up to June 21, 1.3 cases occurred in every 100,000 people in Bournemouth, Christchurch, and the pool in the area.
• By the week through July 19, this had increased to 2 per 100,000.

In context, Leicester’s coronavirus incidence is currently 70 cases per 100,000.

This does not mean that the crowd did not bring Covid-19 into town-only the arrival of the virus in Bournemouth was not significantly expanded.

I also don’t know if the visitor spread the infection themselves and then returned it to their home.

Keep in mind that lock-down rules were relaxed at the time, but there were restrictions on where people gathered, such as pubs, cafes, and restaurants.

If there was a spike in cases, it was up to public health professionals to determine if there was a correlation between the two events.

Councilor Slade said the council was “really excited” to bring visitors back to the beach, but noted that June 25 was particularly busy.

“A very popular tourist destination with 15 miles of coastline, long before the opening of hotels, restaurants and other attractions was allowed, when unlimited travel and exercise on the beach was allowed, all regions Institutional resources were undeniably expanding.

“As a result of our experience, we have introduced a marshall at the entrance of a busy parking lot and expanded our security measures-strengthening first aid measures and implementing additional traffic management plans,” she added.

How about other tourist destinations?

Bournemouth was not the only one who said he was worried about the arrival of visitors.

In early June, concerns were expressed in areas such as Dorset, Cumbria and Norfolk. Counties like these have much smaller health infrastructures to serve a smaller population.

To understand if the number of popular tourist destinations has skyrocketed recently, we chose the 20 most popular holiday spots (compared to population) in Britain. Recorded by VisitBritain..

• Weekly coronavirus infection rates declined or remained unchanged in these 13 regions
• No data for Isle of Wight this week
• The number of cases is increasing in Torbay, Devon, Windsor, Maidenhead, Cumbria, Bath, Northeast Somerset, Bournemouth, Christchurch, and pool.

However, it is important to point out that almost all of these regions are well below the UK’s national case rate of about 6.5 per 100,000.

Only Cumbria, the home of the Lake District, has higher rates. There, the coronavirus case rate is 10.4 cases per 100,000 people. The number of cases in the week to June 21 was 5.8.

Need to expect a spike?

Holiday accommodation, pubs and restaurants were only allowed to open from 4th July. That is, more tourists visit these areas.

However, the government hopes that corporate social distance guidelines and their testing and tracing schemes will help prevent large spikes. Municipalities now have greater powers Respond quickly where there is a risk.

The fact that many tourist destinations offer outdoor activities such as going to the beach and hiking is an advantage.

“Outside activities are known to be much safer. This is one of the few facts about Covid-19 that is virtually universally agreed,” says Professor of Infectious Diseases at Nottingham University. Professor Keith Neil says.

What should I know about the coronavirus?

The low population density also helps in some of these areas. This means that the virus is less likely to spread throughout the area.

During the recent surge of Leicester, the city’s densely populated terraced houses and workplaces Pointed out as a potential cause..

“In rural areas, the incidence of illnesses is much lower. Due to population density, few will mix. Due to my limited experience in Derby and Derbyshire, social distances are greater than in cities. Has also been better protected in the village,” says Neil.

• Tourism faces “finance shortage”
• Protecting those who are “afraid” of the influx of tourism

But Professor Linda Bold, a public health expert at the University of Edinburgh, does not mean that these places will remain unaffected in the future.

“The biggest risk is whether the incident happens nationwide while more people are gathering in those areas. If that happens, especially indoors, the risk is higher. [tourist] The area will not be exempt from it then,” she says.

Many activities in tourist areas take place outdoors, but pubs and restaurants in the resort are especially dangerous.

Throughout the pandemic, far fewer cases have occurred in hotspots for most tourists. Somerset, Torbay, Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Pool are all in the bottom ten overall coronavirus infections.

These expensive tourist destinations such as Blackpool, Manchester, Liverpool, and York tend to be larger and more densely populated.

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