Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely is recommending that visitors to the Island self-isolate for at least a week once they arrive.
As previously reported by Island Echo, the Government has advised against non-essential travel which includes people going to their holiday homes and travelling for holidays.
Locals have been outraged at the number of ‘Down from London’ visitors locations such as Bembridge has seen.
Bob Seely said:
“Government is requesting that people stay in their primary residence during this crisis to ensure that that NHS can cope and that the virus is not spread to more isolated parts of the country.
“For those people who have arrived recently on the Island, please be considerate and think of the Island. We need to do our best to limit the chance for the virus to spread and we need to do what we can to make sure our NHS is not overwhelmed. This is not just about keeping ourselves save, but ensuring that we keep others safe. It’s about ‘us’ and not ‘me'”.
The MP has come up with a 6-point list of what visitors should be doing:
1 – You should be self-isolating for at least a week once you arrive. Follow the guidance and please obey it for the sake of others.
2 – Try to use a ferry where you can stay in your car.
3 – Don’t panic purchase when you are here. There is plenty of food and we need to make sure that at-risk groups as well as NHS staff and other key groups can shop.
4 – Use the Council helpline if you are in doubt or need help or advice.
5 – Take exercise – go for walks – but do so practising social distancing. If you are an at-risk group, you need to fully self-isolate.
6 – Please only offer to help others once you are sure you are not infectious.
Mr Seely adds:
“We ALL need to work together in the next few weeks to limit the ability of the virus to spread.”
Does that include him. He’s a visitor!
Should of not be coming here in the first place. Give it a couple of week and see how it had spread. Thank you Bob Seely for not protecting us. Should lose his job if it gets out of control here. Should of acted much sooner. Still got the Holiday makers here.
Well that could prove less than helpful advice for all the pharmacists and key workers that commute to the island daily.
Tasmania in Australia have stopped non residents boarding ferries etc. Only Residents and Freight accepted. How about it wightlink and Red Funnel?
Not a chance. First place they will visit will be the supermarket to get food and loo roll.
Me sealey we the residents of the island request that the island is shut down to mainlanders coming over for holidays only allow freight and fuel to come over and those that need medical appointments on the mainland allowed to travel
This advice to visitors already here about ‘what to do when you get here’ is all well and good, but Mr Seely should also be saying loud and clear (as per Government advice) ‘Don’t come here in the first place’. Why has he not said this strongly enough? By not making this crystal clear our MP is condoning non-compliance with Government advice on ‘essential travel only’. Also, how does Mr Seely think the visitors will get to hear his advice anyway? (most/many won’t be bothered with news websites etc.) Mr Seely is just talking into the wind…
And – the I.O.W official tourism website is STILL saying on it’s designated coronavirus advice page ‘we welcome you at any time’ This advice being on the website has gone from being ill-advised, to irresponsible to borderline criminal – this information needs to be changed immediately. Mr Seely, it’s time to step up and do what you’re there to do…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-northern-ireland-51999437/stay-at-home-doctors-and-nurses-appeal-to-uk?fbclid=IwAR1AKMM4isUhtRlUPpCdlNV4SbpjA82ytwRMEVu-EClSYmWdv5GPaYVEzMc
And – I didn’t go shopping yesterday but today I saw news photos of huge queues outside island supermarkets, which has only just begun here since the influx of tourists this weekend.
The island is in danger of missing the opportunity of saving many lives, due to the inaction or incorrect action of a few people in positions of responsibility – including Mr Seely and the director of I.O.W. tourism.
I am pleased to see that the official I.O.W. tourism website has now amended the information on its ‘coronavirus info’ page to reflect accurate and up to date Government advice – thankyou.
Now it’s your turn to do even more Mr Seely…I thank you in anticipation.
How are you going to make them do that Bob. Visitors should not be coming over here at all. This is not a holiday .We only have one hospital.
Sandy – here is a copy of an email I sent to the ‘Island Tourism’ website today:
Hello,
For very obvious reasons, can I please ask you, on behalf of all the elderly and other vulnerable people who live on the Isle of Wight, to put a clear message on your website home page saying that:
In line with current Government advice, directives and measures designed to curtail the spread of coronavirus within the island and the UK, the island is effectively closed for tourism until further notice.
If you do not do this, many 100’s of people will travel here on what the Government described today as taking an ‘isolation holiday’ which the Government has roundly and unequivocally condemned.
The result of your failure to take this or similar measures (e.g. take the tourism website offline for the time being) will be the deaths of more older and vulnerable people who would otherwise have survived. Currently your tourism website is actively still encouraging non-essential travel to the island.
If you feel this is an exaggeration of the situation I suggest you stop, think more carefully and observe exactly what is happening around the world.
Thankyou
Very well explained Joe. My thoughts, the people who are in authority, why did they not close vulnerable islands down much sooner, like a month ago? All but essential travel has been ordered too late. Anyway, brilliant Joe, well done
We don’t want them here at the mo, the island has a natural defence all around it, USE IT PLEASE
Recommending? That’s not enough they won’t listen
What total nonsense as once these people arrive on the Island they become potential patients. Stop them coming in the first place place, like everyone who is able to they should stay at home. Once it is all over they can come and enjoy our fantastic Island
Better still stay away
#stoptheferries for non-essential travel – have tweeted @BorisJohnson @bobseely re Isle of Wight
Can Journalists help?
140k pop. 28% aged 70+. 6 ICU beds.
2nd homers, tourists still arriving. Beaches heaving. Minimal social distancing.
#stayhome #stoptheferries. Scotland has stopped all non-essential ferry travel to the Highlands.
Please can someone have a word with The Waterfront at Shanklin!!! They do not seem to understand the warnings.
It would have been relatively easy for the Island to have been isolated thus saving a considerable extra cost to NHS etc. as there was only one case.
But it appears that no thought was given to this by the council but only by residents i.e their wage payers!
Its ok we will pay – we always do!
My mother and father run and small B&B here on the Isle of wight. They closed their doors on Tuesday when their last guests left. All of the bedrooms and public areas were sanitised and they VERY SENSIBLY followed the governments advice about not encouraging irresponsible travel. I live and work in Epsom and took advice not to travel yesterday to see my lovely mother for mothers day. I stayed indoors on the advice of our government.
Look at The Lake District, Cumbria over the weekend. These people are genuinely putting others health at risk, serious risk. Islanders will and are starting to turn against transport providers and accommodation/attraction providers that are STILL actively encouraging travel and visitors to the Island.
Encouraging tourists to self isolate for a week before they go out on the Island!! The average length of stay at my parents accommodation is 2 maybe 3 nights. 7 nights! What planet is out MP on? He’s completely out of touch and again is sitting on the fence and we’re either open irresponsibly for business or we must close our Island for non essential travel NOW!
We will be saving lives doing so. This is just unbelievable Mr Seely!
Would it not be better to ask ferry company’s or IWC to STOP all visitors coming to Island. Freight traffic, Residents,Workers,only. It will not be popular but it would lessen the strain on hospital, local shops, medical centres.
Today the I.O.W. official tourism website modified the information on their ‘coronavirus info page’ to accurately reflect current Government advice on ‘essential travel only’ for which I am grateful (extra lives will be saved as a result of this) but I would ask them to do more, as we are all being asked to do more.
The ‘coronavirus info page’ on the website lists all the right things i.e. Government directives on how to stay safe, but further down the page there is all the current information on all the ferry sailings.
If essential travel/tourism is currently discouraged, then this information does not/should not need to be there. It is a ‘tourism’ website.
All that needs to be there are web links to the appropriate ferry companies, but I would go even further than that:
If we are being truly objective, the website is purely about ‘tourism’ (the clue is in the name) and currently, and for the foreseeable future, tourism is effectively ‘banned’ (essential travel only) so there is every reason this official I.O.W. website should be switched off until the Government lifts the current directives.
This would mean that when I click on the website, all I see is a page saying something like: ‘Due to the current Government directive on essential travel only i.e. no ‘tourist’ travel, this website is currently closed. When this virus has been dealt with, please make the wonderful Isle of Wight your top choice to visit – see you soon’.
I would say that by temporarily switching off the official I.O.W. tourism website more lives will be saved – it’s up to you.
DFL doesn’t flipping live here
Absolutely agree Joe.
Too little, too late, they’re playing your song Mr. Seely. Well, no one has to hum along, we are all word perfect in it.
Absolutely ridiculous, why oh why would visitors come over here or travel anywhere at the moment, after being told NOT TO, stupid people.
What rule did I break ?
I wish the headline was “VISITORS TO THE ISLAND SHOULD GO HOME SAYS ISLE OF WIGHT MP”
Why not order them to self isolate . If they’re selfish enough to come to a small island with a hospital that’s been decimated by the Tories over the last ten years they should at least self isolate. Do something for those people who voted for you and those that didn’t but are lumbered with you
Is he for real!!!! Sorry self isolating means stay at home in your own house. ♀️
The problem is that if people already have non-refundable bookings they will be tempted to make use of them and ignore the isolation advice.
Because the government hasn’t banned travel (yet) insurance won’t pay out so it is a case of “use it or lose it” and when the loss runs into hundreds, or even thousands of pounds that is a big incentive to find a way round the rules.
Clear, enforceable, bans are what are needed, not just advice.
How about don’t come to the island to visit and close the ports apart from meds foods and emergency services!!!
The visitor should be here on our island our hospital has got enough bed and we should come first
The seldom seen Seely should definitely self isolate.
Is it not now time to only allow island residents and key workers on to the island and not to allow residents to leave.
This is only going to get worse, and any measures are going to help, We only have one hospital on the island it will not cope with none residents as well.
Save your breath, you’re going to need it when seeley and the ferry companies play a part in giving you the virus
When this is over its time to vote Seely OUT