Find your own Wight space this Easter – that’s the message from Isle of Wight health chiefs ahead of the Easter weekend with residents urged to enjoy the great outdoors — and hopefully some sunshine — in a sensible and cautious way.
With more than 60 miles of beaches and 520 miles of rights of way, Simon Bryant, the council’s director of public health, urged people to avoid the most crowded places and to find their own space to help keep the Island safe.
He said:
“The Island is blessed with the most beautiful countryside and miles of wonderful beaches offering plenty of space for residents to get out and about without the need to crowd busy spots.
“I want all of us to make the most of fresh air and exercise. It’s important for your mental and physical health that you stay active. Meet other people outdoors by all means, but please keep to the rule of six, or two household, and keep social distancing. Stay local, discover the quiet places, and avoid crowded ones. If it’s busy, move on.
“Everyone needs to take personal responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19. Our actions make a big difference. The good behaviours associated with hands, face, space should continue to be central to all of the plans we make.”
While the stay at home rule was lifted on Monday, people are still being asked to minimise travel.
Mr Bryant has warned that those who break or bend the ‘roadmap’ rules risked allowing COVID-19 to creep back into our communities. This would not only put the lives of our most vulnerable residents at risk, it would also jeopardise our route out of lockdown and back to doing the things we love, he said.
In brief, the recent rule changes are:
- People can meet outside, including in private gardens, either with one other household or as a group of six.
- The ‘stay at home’ rule has been replaced with ‘stay local’ and to keep travel to a minimum.
- Outdoor sports facilities such as golf courses and tennis courts can reopen, and organised outdoor sport can take place.
- Outdoor parent and child groups are allowed with up to 15 parents.
It is important to note that the rules do not allow people to mix indoors, and there should be no long-distance travelling or overnight stays, which includes single households staying in a second home. People are also being reminded that although the vaccine programme on the Island is on track and working well, having the jab does not give people a green light to ignore the rules.
Maggie Oldham, chief executive of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust, said:
“It is wonderful that new guidance allows loved ones to reunite in a safe way, after so many months apart.
“However, we must continue to do all the important steps that are leading us out of lockdown, such as wearing a mask, washing and sanitising our hands frequently and keeping a distance from others when we are out and about.
“Our hospital continues to support the local community and Island visitors, and should you need advice or urgent, non-life threatening support, please call 111 before coming into A&E or our urgent treatment centre. Our 111 team will be able to provide the quickest route for treatment.”
For all the most up to date information and advice about coronavirus and all of the support on offer, visit: www.keeptheislandsafe.org.
There are already people over here on self catering holidays. I have also seen a few left hand drive vehicles and vehicles with foreign number plates – HOW and WHY ??
How and why ? Because they can, no one is stopping it . Luckily nowhere is open so everyone is in the fresh air.Not sure I’d want to pay for a holiday with dodgy weather and have to sit in every evening watching telly , you can do that for free at home.
Discover the Isle of Wight but stay safe. Er…. drive along the Military Road and see a certain camp site with a number of camper van’s parked there. Drive past the car parks towards Freshwater and again see the number of camper vans in the car parks. Maybe some are islanders taking their camper van’s out for a drive. But not all…….
Campsite have a lot of seasonals, meaning they stay there for most of the year. People are entitled to go on day trips with their campervan but not to stay overnight.
I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pay an extortionate amount of money bringing their campervan over to the island by either Wightlink or Red Funnel just for the day. Not convinced that all the campervans on the campsite along the Military Road are seasonal workers.
Never said anything about seasonal workers. Go understand about seasonal stays in holiday parks. It has nothing to do with workers.
There are loads of holidaymakers here. Second home owners too. You only have to walk anywhere on the island and you will see them. Some holiday let’s must be allowing them against the law. Ferries full people with cases mobile homes etc. They’re all already here.
Ferries full are they? You been on the ferry and seen them? Doubt it.