'Ignore coronavirus travel guidance at your peril' warning as minority 'makes mockery' of rules in Ross-shire
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GROWING evidence that the lure of Ross-shire’s beauty spots is tempting increasing numbers to the area and “making a mockery” of coronavirus travel restrictions is fuelling fears of a damaging return to full lockdown.
One Wester Ross resident reporting “a steady stream” of North Coast 500 drivers “using the road like a racetrack” along with camper vans and day-trippers took to the official Highland police Facebook page to ask whether there’s any point to guidelines that are so clearly flouted.
Concerns about an increase in visitors coming into the area and locals ignoring advice have been shared in several communities, with many left feeling powerless.
Highland Superintendent Iain MacLelland said: “People should only leave the house for very limited purposes, for example for basic necessities, for exercise or recreation, for medical needs or travelling for work which cannot be done from home. We are asking people to take personal responsibility to do the right thing.”
“We need to be very careful not to risk weeks of compliance by seeing cases rise again and a return to complete lockdown.”
Gail Ross
MPs and MSPs canvassed by the Ross-shire Journal acknowledged growing concern from constituents.
Ross MP Ian Blackford said constituents are concerned about “the influx of visitors to fragile communities over the past few days” and said that while the First Minister’s clear guidance was led by “the best medical and scientific advice and not by politics or posturing”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s lifting of lockdown in England and the “outrageous behaviour” of advisor Dominic Cummings had undermined a vital health message.
He urged people to follow Nicola Sturgeon’s advice, noting the police have powers to fine and move people on and said it is vital to avoid a second deadly spike.
Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone has been inundated with concerns over rules being flouted and is calling for extra resources for the “stretched” police “who have not been able to enforce the lockdown rules as well as they might want to”.
He said: “A small minority continue to flout the advice and increase the risk of spreading the virus.” Alluding to the area’s major industry, he said: “Tourists will be welcomed with open arms when it is safe.”
Ross-shire MSP Gail Ross is passing on all concerns raised with her direct to the police. She said Highlanders had been “brilliant” at observing the rules so far, adding: “We need to be very careful not to risk weeks of compliance by seeing cases rise again and a return to complete lockdown.”
Strathpeffer-based Highland MSP Maree Todd said several constituents had been in touch over lockdown breaches over the weekend.
She said: “We do not want to see large numbers of people at tourist hotspots or local beauty spots. This is a collective effort – we all have a vital part to play.”
Dingwall-based MSP Kate Forbes, whose constituency also takes in the Black Isle, noted Transport Scotland statistics indicated traffic volume was three times higher last weekend over the previous one.
She said: “I am in regular contact with police officers who are doing their absolute best and I know they have been monitoring hotspots around Ross-shire like Rosemarkie beach and Chanonry Point.”
She said: “All of us want to be able to lift more restrictions so that we can meet friends in more normal circumstances. We also want to be able to restart NHS services and allow people back to work school and study.”
That can only happen if the virus is suppressed, she said.
Superintendent MacLelland added that officers will “continue to engage with the public, explain the legislation and guidance and encourage compliance. We will use enforcement as a last resort only where there is a clear breach of the legislation.”
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