Allow remote communities to close themselves to outsiders

Many remote communities have no cases of the virus and don't want any outsiders coming in apart from healthcare and delivery of supplies. They should be allowed to "close" the boundary and restrict entry to outsiders in an enforceable way.

Why the contribution is important

Most remote communities have many vulnerable people and have often built themselves into a wonderful community all working together to protect the vulnerable and keep everyone safe and provided for. My parents in their 90s are in such a community and there are many vulnerable people there. When a camper van turned up there was outrage and the police were called, rightly so in my opinion. They were told in no uncertain terms to go home and stay away. There should be a way for the community to enforce the closure of the boundary and restrict entry of outsiders for the safety of their residents.

by JLMBD on May 09, 2020 at 03:15PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 3.0
Based on: 15 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Emmab85 May 09, 2020 at 16:10

    I 100% agree with you. If rural communities have no cases and can get back to life they should be able to by locking others out!
  • Posted by Lanaiya May 09, 2020 at 16:41

    I agree! Should have to show proof of local address to enter a shop. The tourists are putting rural communities at risk.
  • Posted by Movingforward May 09, 2020 at 16:41

    I am sorry but I don’t agree that we should close of parts of our country.

  • Posted by MatthewSlack May 09, 2020 at 16:58

    Short term, in effect this is already the case.

    But this virus is likely to be around for the long term, and any community that fails to implement the measures needed to survive in the presence of it is going to be badly hit some time in the future when the first case arrives.

    Living in a virus free area invites a dropping of the guard, leaving an open goal for the virus when it eventually does come calling. One asymptomatic visitor combined with a lax approach based on a false sense of security can lead to an entire small community being infected in short order.

    Until there is a vaccine there will be no substitute for living as though every person is infected, including yourself.
  • Posted by JLMBD May 09, 2020 at 17:06

    If there is a vaccine it will change everything. I note some people think it's time to move forward and that we can't close bits of the country off from others, but it's for the people in the community to decide not potential tourists. Where my parents are every tourist attraction is closed anyway. The surgery is 30 miles away and only has telephone appointments, the library is closed, all food outlets are closed, all art galleries are closed. If the residents don't want you there then stay away.
  • Posted by MatthewSlack May 09, 2020 at 19:26

    I think 'resilience' is a key quality that communities are going to need going forward.

    For me, there is more resilience in actively planning how to stay safe in the presence of the virus - minimising risk by living defensively so that consequences are contained and limited - than in trying to lock it out and risking substantial consequences as a result of lack of preparedness.

    I'm sure we will see examples of both approaches in the coming weeks. My big fear for remote communities is that there will be at least one serious outbreak in a place where people thought they were safe.
  • Posted by mallan May 09, 2020 at 23:00

    Shutting down is too restrictive a solution, we need to open up with good constructive and honest guidance
  • Posted by ArtSam May 10, 2020 at 09:42

    I agree 100% let’s keep our smaller/rural communities safer especially as they do not have adequate emergency services for additional people migrating to their areas
  • Posted by OldDeuteronomy May 10, 2020 at 13:11

    Disagree. It is not sustainable to close, say, the Highlands and Islands/remote communities indefinitely, and indefinitely it would be as there will be no vaccine available for one, two, three years - if ever. Let's get a grip, understand that Covid is going to be with us for the foreseeable future and get back to some semblance of normal life.
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