Oi, celebs! Stay away.

Police commissioner tells stars to keep out of Devon

Devon and Cornwall's police and crime commissioner has told celebrities to stay away from the region to set an example during lockdown.

Alison Hernandez says people risk spreading the new variant of coronavirus if they head here. Under rules that become law on Wednesday, people are not allowed to travel to second homes or stay overnight away from their main residence. Hotels and B&Bs have closed. So there's no excuse for coming to the south west.

Previous lockdowns saw people travelling to the area to visit second homes.  In one recent high-profile case, police officers turned away five people from Tier 4 areas on the Isles of Scilly, the only UK area to remain in Tier 1. Nowhere in the UK is now below tier 5. We're all effectively under house arrest, except for a limited number of reasons.

Commissioner Alison Hernandez said: “We know Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are absolutely beautiful and it’s totally understandable that people would want to spend time here – our thriving tourism industry is evidence of that. However, at a time when stopping the spread of this terrible virus is more important than ever, I must urge people not to make unnecessary journeys to the region.

“This new strain of covid-19 is spreading much faster and we must do everything we can to protect our residents and the NHS. I would particularly like to appeal to celebrities and high-profile social media stars.  By not conducting unnecessary trips to the region you will be setting a fantastic example to the wider public and, in doing so, encouraging more people to stick to the rules.

“I would urge you to lead by example and together we will come through this. There will, of course, come a time when Devon and Cornwall can welcome back visitors with open arms, and while that time isn’t now, I would urge you all to #ComeBackLater.”
P

eople fleeing domestic abuse are among the people still permitted to travel and Commissioner Hernandez says this remains a vital right.
She said: “We will continue to help and protect those who need to get away from abusive situations and those people are obviously welcome in Devon and Cornwall. We commission a wide range of domestic abuse services that are still available around the clock to anyone who needs them.  Please contact our Victim Care Unit (VCU) on 01392 475900 or visit the website here.”