Lockdown easing – what can we expect?

Practical Motorhome article 22nd May 2020:

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It’s very difficult to predict when and where campsites will open. But I do think that when dealers and workshops re open, they will be faced with a large backlog of work. There is going to be some considerable delay in that area, that’s for sure.

Milvus wrote:It’s very difficult to predict when and where campsites will open. But I do think that when dealers and workshops re open, they will be faced with a large backlog of work. There is going to be some considerable delay in that area, that’s for sure.

And a whole variety of others.

The Memsahib is looking like an Old English Sheepdog now, and is wondering how long it will be before she can get an appointment for a haircut.

Fingers crossed neither of us gets a toothache before next year!!

Dentists are now allowed to open along with audiologist and chiropractor and chiropodist practices.
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That’s puzzling as only this week my dentist told me he’s not yet allowed to open.  

I see there was some bad press for us motorhomers last night where an MP was writing to the police in their area & to Downing Street about people in ‘Campers’ staying overnight illegally at present in coastal car parks wild camping. Local people are up in arms about it. The photo showed a lot of surfer dood vans & a few proper conversions. In my own county people were defficating on a beach outside a residents house as the toilets weren’t open. It seems we get bad press from a fews actions & the locals are getting all their pitchforks out ready to keep people away. I’m desperate to get away in van but have to wait until sites are open & it’s allowed. I hope the locals have then put their pitchforks away!

This is a real problem for those of us that live by the beaches as pretty much every local will see a motorhome as a visitor and a target. We have friends who have a disabled daughter, they use a small Hymer as everyday transport but dare not leave it parked for fear of damage, she cannot go to the beach as usual. Another, the lady of the house has a necessity to be near the loo so a camper is ideal for days out, not possible now though. We just like to sit in ours in isolation and watch the ocean, not happening now. This is not what the Government intended.

It brings up a couple of issues to me for the future and I am going to prepare something to send to George Eustace, a local MP to us. The government currently ban local identity on number plates, surely now they would be useful in identifying where a vehicle was from. I am not sure why the ban exists. Further I would change the whole vehicle tax system, in fact I would scrap road tax altogether and add the cost to fuel. Complaining about camper vans parking all over the place is futile, when this is all over they will arrive in arguably greater numbers so regionally Council's need to provide something similar to the aires system.

We are not "locals" but have graduated from "emmets" to "incomers"! I see both sides of the argument,  this is just another way of life that in future will need some re-planning. The World as we know it must change for sure.

I think if I were in the position of the motorhomers  you describe Hog, I'd just print out A4 notices in big red letters briefly stating they're local and the van is their only means of transport, and stick them to the inside of the windows on all four sides.
Al.

Thought about that Al, we think alike,for now though still not sure it is worth the risk.

There are some animals around aren't there - and they don't all have four legs.

No wonder there's a growing anti-motorhome feeling, from which we shall all suffer, unfortunately.

Hopefully (as has been said) once the sites open we shall be safe enough, but it takes a hell of a lot longer to lose a bad reputation than to gain one!!

Presumably, the people defecating on the beach are less likely to be those travelling there in camper vans, which are likely to have their own onboard facilities, but more likely to be car drivers/passengers, cyclists and walkers, who don't.  

I would have thought opening the public facilities would be the obvious answer. 

But in any event, I won't be rushing to go out to busy locations, in the car or motorhome, even once 'jockdown' finally ends here in Scotland.  

Some folk seem to overlook that it is still possible to continue to maintain your self isolation or minimise exposure to whatever extent you choose - the end of lockdown won't make it mandatory to go out and about.

rogerblack wrote:Presumably, the people defecating on the beach are less likely to be those travelling there in camper vans, which are likely to have their own onboard facilities, but more likely to be car drivers/passengers, cyclists and walkers, who don't.  

Absolutely Roger, but I bet the locals lump all the miscreants together and blame motorhomers, since they are such an obvious and easy target!

We're free to roam down here, but in reality it hasn't made much difference - at least to sensible people!!    There's not a lot open, and those places that are (such as garden centres) are rammed with idiots who have forgotten all about social distancing . . . . which assumes they took any notice of it in the first place!! 

Gromit wrote:
We're free to roam down here, but in reality it hasn't made much difference - at least to sensible people!!    There's not a lot open, and those places that are (such as garden centres) are rammed with idiots who have forgotten all about social distancing . . . . which assumes they took any notice of it in the first place!! 

Quite. We would dearly like to go somewhere, even if just to sit in the car and watch a different world than the back garden or local park. We were trying to think of somewhere to go but everywhere will be busy this sunny bank holiday weekend. Having been in strict isolation since 10th March it seems silly to take a risk now so we will wait till next week and hope it is a bit quieter when more go back to work or, possibly, some schools go back.

Snag is I think we both have a classic case of FOGO and it’s hard to know quite what to do about it.

This is too near the truth for comfort!!!!  

Most of the vans down here are converted builder's vans so have no facilities

they say your always only ten feet away from one!
no not rats.
but thick, stupid, selfish, ignorant , idiotic humans.
ok a bit harsh but what a mess we are seeing from political advisers too selfish self build van (stealth) owners.
Just wait a little longer and wait till all the normal people get unlocked ha ha 
Oh and football supporters fighting each other over a teams shirt colour.

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Despite being asked to leave at end of the day, they refused.

The Gower peninsula, is right on our doorstep and has some of the best blue flag beaches in the uk. We also have the sweep of Swansea bay from Swansea around to Mumbles. I just hope these areas don't get overun by idiots, when the situation gets eased here in Wales. If this fantastic weather we are having keeps up, I can see a similar situation happening here as in parts of Devon, Cornwall and Lincolnshire.

Our first Minister will reveal tomorrow, what our next phase is going to be. ???

Leighton.

Hopefully most of the idiots will be young, so very few of them should become seriously ill, and therefore their stupidity won't threaten to overwhelm the NHS.

If herd immunity works as the scientists hope, and people who have been infected don't get it again or infect others (at least for a while) the idiots may do us all a favour by helping stamp out the virus.

I'm afraid I wouldn't have much sympathy for any who did suffer badly - I would reserve that for the elderly or vulnerable innocents they might pass it on to. That of course is the down side to their arrogant disregard for the welfare of others!

Paulmold wrote:Dentists are now allowed to open along with audiologist and chiropractor and chiropodist practices.
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Confusing, the daily update today has shown that dentists can open on June 8th whereas the link above says they can do that already.

Roads very busy to and from Scarborough today, counted 8 motorhomes along the coast road, not daily drivers by the looks of them, Scarborough was packed ,even with most of the shops closed.
Boaby

Back to the title of the thread....a second wave of infections?

I see all the "normal" people were out and about yesterday!!!
Lockdown easing, this time people "protecting" war memorials, BBC news speculating they were far right supporters and ( bored ) football supporters? Could I say, sometimes they are seen as the same. Not many face coverings seen in the published photos of the gatherings.
At work at break we try and think " what will be the headline news" tomorrow. Any ideas here?
What can we expect ? Well I always say look at the next day's weather forecast and if it's sunny then there will be more chance of a riot in the headlines giving government opportunity to hide more bad news.

For weeks we've been told that the 'R' value is the single most important figure in this pandemic, and it's vital it should remain below 1.
However a talking head was playing it down yesterday, saying that it shouldn't be taken in isolation, and there were other factors that should be taken into consideration..
Are we being softened up for the R figure to go above 1?
Remember how the 'vital' comparison graph with other European countries was quietly dropped when it was becoming obvious we were going to be top of the chart..
Al.