We have a trauma consultant next door, an anaesthetist, specialist in resuscitation, also first responder for our part of the Peak District, in the mountain rescue, and a helicopter medic. He’s regularly called out to sort out the idiots, or the unwitting, who all too quite amazingly frequently get themselves into a pickle on our country roads, misjudging bends, overtaking daftly, falling off their bikes, breaking legs and ankles in the hills, and so on. If non-residents stay away then there’s only a miniscule fraction of the normal traffic left. So he and his colleagues can concentrate on keeping Coronavirus victims alive at the teaching hospital in Sheffield. It’s 15 miles to the nearest hospital from here. Every accident or mishap ties him up, paramedics, ambulances, police, often fire brigade, for whom it can be a 30 mile round trip to attend a single incident and can take up many man-hours. Every extra car, bike or person increases the likelihood that essential personnel will be diverted from fighting Coronavirus.
If you are not part of the solution then you become part of the problem, a small part maybe, but multiplied by the many it becomes a big problem.
Use your common sense, if you can’t walk to a shop, or pharmacy obviously you may have no option but to drive. It’s essential to eat, it’s nice to walk in the country, but it ain’t essential.
So the answer is bugger off, don’t come, we don’t want you here! If you live here already you should know the score already.
Finally, whilst I can sympathise why many think the Derbyshire Police over-reacted, their blunt instrument seems to have been very effective, it’s thankfully one hell of a lot quieter here this weekend.
