Brighton beachgoers ignore government quarantine pleas and sit along the seafront

Brighton beachgoers ignore government quarantine pleas and sit along the seafront
NewsColony

Britons are still ignoring government warnings to stay at home to help stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus – despite the nationwide lockdown entering its second week.

Covidiot neighbours emerged from their houses and danced and sang on the street just inches away from each other in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, as part of a daily routine.

People were spotted out and about on the seafront at Brighton, East Sussex, today as police swooped to send them on their way.

Ministers have been accused of sending ‘mixed messages’ in attempts to encourage the public to alter their routines in the face of the devastating pandemic.

A record-breaking 381 coronavirus deaths and 3,009 cases were declared in the UK on Tuesday, which is Britain’s darkest day so far.

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Covidiot neighbours emerged from there houses and danced and sang on the street just inches away from each other in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire

People were spotted out and about on the seafront at Brighton, East Sussex, today as police swooped to send them on their way

Two people, with one covering his face with a mask, were seen walking along the bustling promenade in the seaside resort

One man, who was wearing a surgical glove on his right hand but not his left, sat on a concrete block while pigeons swarmed around him (left). And a policeman scolds on woman on the beach (right)

Residents of Coral Street in Saltburn come out of their homes at 6pm each evening to take part in Sing at Six despite Britain being on lockdown

Two women had to be scolded by an officer for sitting on the south coast city’s pebbled beach to watch the waves draw in

Yet two women had to be scolded by an officer for sitting on Brighton’s pebbled beach to watch the waves draw in.

A family, who were all covering their faces with masks, was seen holding hands and walking along the bustling promenade.

One man, who was wearing a surgical glove on his right hand but not his left, sat on a concrete block while pigeons swarmed around him.

And a couple drinking energy drinks on a bench appeared to laugh at a policeman as he told them off in front of Brighton Pier.

Other officers could be seen pleading with beachgoers to go home as they patrolled the seafront on Tuesday afternoon.

A family of six, who were all covering their faces with masks, was seen holding hands and walking along the bustling promenade

A man dances with his daughter as residents of Coral Street in Saltburn take part in their daily sing and dance each evening

A couple drinking energy drinks on a bench appeared to laugh at a policeman as he told them off in front of Brighton Pier

This officer takes off his hat as he pleads with a man to leave the deserted beachfront at the seaside resort on Tuesday

Other officers could be seen pleading with beachgoers to go home as they patrolled the seafront this afternoon (pictured)

One woman waves outside her house as another smiles during the latest daily dance on Tuesday in Saltburn-By-The-Sea 

Despite the lockdown entering its second week today, crowds were still out and about in the seaside city on Tuesday

Liberal Democrats home affairs spokesman Christine Jardine called for the Government to clarify its message to the public.

Ms Jardine said: ‘With police taking wildly different approaches to enforcing social distancing measures and ministers’ off-the-cuff remarks adding to the confusion, it’s no wonder people are uncertain about what the Government expects of them during this crisis.

‘The vast majority are keen to comply with advice and will do whatever it takes to keep themselves and others safe by curbing the spread of the virus.

‘However, the Government must make every effort to be absolutely clear about what the expectations are and why they are necessary.

‘Mixed messages from ministers only add to the chaos and fuel anxiety.’

An officer is seen confronting a person on the pebbled beach as a dog walker strolls past by the sea in the background on Tuesday

Britons are supposed to be staying indoors to prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, but some people in Saltburn still come out every night for a dance

One man gets a dressing down from a policeman (pictured) for being out and about when a quarantine is in place across the country

Residents on the street in Saltburn-By-The-Sea took to the road to sing and dance again on Tuesday, ignoring government advice to stay indoors

Police officers patrolled along the beachfront, checking what reasons people had to be out of their homes

The comments came after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said people should only go out to shop for food ‘once a week’ if possible.

Mr Shapps told the BBC: ‘People know the rules that have been set. Try and shop just once a week – just, you know, just do the essentials not everything else.’

But Government guidance states people should shop for essentials ‘as infrequently as possible’, it does not limit the amount of times a person can shop.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove has also told people to limit jogging to 30 minutes.

He said: ‘I would have thought that for most people, a walk of up to an hour, or a run of 30 minutes or a cycle ride of between that, depending on their level of fitness is appropriate.’

Medical staff are pictured wheeling a patient out of an ambulance at St Thomas’ Hospital in London on Tuesday. The capital city, home to around nine million people, is at the centre of the UK’s crisis

Mr Gove said most people were already displaying ‘common sense’ when it came to following social distancing guidelines.

Government guidelines say that ‘one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household’ is allowed in the current situation.

The comments come after some police forces have been accused of heavy-handed tactics in enforcing the lockdown restrictions imposed by the Government.

At the beginning of March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted he would shake people’s hands.

The PM is currently self-isolating after testing positive for coronavirus with ‘mild symptoms’.

Is that REALLY necessary? Hundreds of shoppers are spotted at The Range in Bristol defying government orders to stay at home and only shop for essential items

Shoppers across Britain have been criticised for making non-essential trips to the shops despite government recommendations to reduce their exposure to coronavirus. 

In Bristol, hundreds of shoppers were spotted at The Range,  buying plants, a cat play centre and a lamp shade. 

Some police forces have been vigorously enforcing the government’s lockdown rules, establishing roadblocks to determine whether a journey was necessary. 

Shoppers have been criticised for going out to pic up non-essential goods such as this cat play centre, ignoring the government’s plea to remain at home. These shoppers were visiting The Range in Bristol

This gentleman filled up his trolley earlier today with plants in an effort to do some gardening

This many bought a new gaming headset to enable him to communicate online 

This gentleman also took the opportunity to buy some plants ahead of going gardening 

New regulations brought in last Thursday give police the power to issue instant £30 fines to people who gather in groups of more than two people or leave their homes without good reason such as for work, food-shopping or exercise.

The measures were introduced to help stop the spread of COVID-19 after thousands of Britons appeared to be ignoring advice on social distancing.

As the death toll in Britain rose above 1,400 and hospitals struggled to cope with thousands of cases, some people focused their wrath on a reported Easter egg ban.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) said some retailers had been told by police and local authorities to restrict what they sold, including Easter eggs.

‘This is complete nonsense,’ ACS chief executive James Lowman said. 

To fight the coronavirus, the government has ordered pubs, restaurants and nearly all shops to close and drafted in new regulations.

The weekend before the new regulations were introduced, parks and beauty spots had been packed, leading to the Archbishop of Canterbury to tell people not to act selfishly.

This woman bought a new lampshade during her trip to The Range in Bristol, pictured 

But there appeared to be confusion about how the new rules should be enforced, with a number of regional forces taking much stricter approaches than others.

In some areas, random road checkpoints to see where drivers were going have been brought in. Police in Derbyshire, central England, used drones to monitor beauty spots and put dye into a lake to discourage visitors.

Officers in some places have taken action against multiple people from the same household going to shops – even though there is no specific bar on this – and police in Lancashire, northern England, said they had issued 123 fines over the weekend. Other forces have not fined anyone.

Some commentators said the measures risked undermining public trust in the police, traditionally seen as far less authoritarian than in many other countries.

This man walking along Borough High Street decided he needed an extra house plant

Many Britons still cherish the image of the friendly ‘bobby on the beat’, although community policing has been hit hard by spending cuts in recent years.

‘The tradition of policing in this country is that policemen are citizens in uniform, they are not members of a disciplined hierarchy operating just at the government’s command,’ Jonathan Sumption, a former UK Supreme Court judge, told the BBC. ‘This is what a police state is like.’

Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs Council, said they were looking to ensure consistency in the police response as everyone got to grip with the new ‘unprecedented measures’.

‘Our plan is that we will engage with people, we will explain the measures…we will encourage people to go home but then as a very last resort we will enforce,’ he told BBC radio.

Transport Minister Grant Shapps said police had a difficult job and were doing it well even if in a few cases police had gone ‘perhaps a bit further than they should have gone.’

‘But in general terms I think the case is that if people help everybody out, including the police, by staying home and the rest of it, then there will be no problems,’ he told Sky News.

Police have also highlighted antics of people who have flouted the guidelines.

Traffic police in northwest England said they had stopped a car with a man who had gone on a 200-mile trip to buy windows with his wife in the boot, while South Wales Police said officers had questioned one man who told them: ‘My journey is essential. I had to buy weed.’

Source : Mail Online | NewsColony: World News

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