Please act responsibly this Easter is the message to residents and visitors from Plymouth ahead of the bank holiday weekend. The easing of restrictions from Monday (29 March) is expected to see a rise in visitors, including to the Hoe and Barbican.
As well as adhering to social distancing measures and the rule of six or two households, people are also being encouraged to plan their visits by:
- Checking online tools before travel to assess how busy an area might be
- Having a plan B and C if they get somewhere and it’s really busy
- Parking responsibly and taking care not to cause a hazard to other road users
- Bringing a spare bag and taking home rubbish to recycle. Littering can result in a fine
- Picking up dog waste and disposing responsibly
- If using a BBQ in our parks and Waterfront areas – please only do so in the designated areas, and do so responsibly, following these guidelines.
- Be safe if socialising near the sea and know what to do, if you get into trouble. See more
Ruth Harrell, Director of Public Health for Plymouth City Council, said the Easter weekend was usually an extremely busy time for popular locations across Plymouth and people needed to act responsibly.
"This Easter weekend, please don’t open the door to a fresh wave of COVID-19. We have come such a long way in the battle against Coronavirus, the vaccination programme is well underway, offering further light at the end of the tunnel.
"But now is not the time to relax – we have seen third waves of the virus in Europe – and we must all do our bit to avoid that here.
“We now have more freedom to travel locally so that, combined with finer weather, may put more pressure on beauty spots and popular destinations – but many of these areas have limits to the numbers they can safely cope with.
"Over Easter people’s choices for things to do will still be limited (no shops, pubs, eating out, attractions or overnight stays) but please think really carefully about what you choose to do. We would urge people to think about how they can minimise the risk to others at this difficult time as well as to themselves and their loved ones.
“Our COVID marshals will be out across the City, helping people to understand the rules. And the Police will be engaging with communities, helping to educate and encourage people to stick by the rules.
"It is important that we take things in a slow and measured way and we must all play our part. By doing this we can hopefully look forward to greater freedom in the summer."
More information about the current COVID rules.
Information regarding hidden gems across the City to visit and avoid the crowds.