A Pembrokeshire county councillor has reaffirmed the message for people to stay at their permanent place of residence until the Coronavirus crisis is over.

Clr. Jon Preston who represents Penally, Gumfreston and St. Mary Out Liberty (New Hedges) areas on the county council has urged those thinking of travelling to Pembrokeshire during the pandemic to take heed of Government advice and stay at home instead of imposing a massive risk to not only themselves but rural and coastal communities.

“Whilst local communities have been busy establishing support networks to look after vulnerable people across the county in response to the Covid-19 outbreak we woke up on Saturday morning to a steady stream of tourists heading into Pembrokeshire and other holiday destinations across the UK,” he commented.

“This morning (Sunday) I received numerous emails regarding the situation in Tenby and Saundersfoot. One asking - “what is being done to get all these people off the streets?”

“Personally, I don’t think the local authority or Welsh government is doing enough to deter this exodus. To merely ‘ask’ people not to travel here does not cut it. These are people who have already ignored the advice of the Prime Minister.

“I do not wish to sound alarmist, but the government may well have to introduce measures not seen in mainland UK since the second world war to limit the spread of Covid-19. As a county our priority at this time is to ensure provisions and medical services can be sustained throughout this crisis.

“A sharp increase in population will add significant additional, and unnecessary strain on our health services and other resources.

“So, my message to those planning to travel to Pembrokeshire is this - we have all had to re-asses our priorities in response to this pandemic. Businesses have closed in what should be the start of our main tourism season. No one has taken this lightly, but we understand why this must be done.

“Please take notice of the governments advise in relation to social distancing, self-isolation and unnecessary travel.

“Do not underestimate the gravity of the situation, these measures are in place to protect us all.

“We should all be at our permanent place of residence until this crisis is over. That way we can have some level of control over our essential resources and restrict the spread of this virus,” added Clr. Preston.