Last weekend saw an influx of holidaymakers to areas of North Fermanagh as many ignored coronavirus travel restrictions to enjoy the good weather at local beauty spots including Muckross Bay.

Speaking to The Impartial Reporter, Democratic Unionist Councillor Deborah Erskine commented on this issue: “I have been speaking to the police about this and their understanding has been that there has been some people who have come from Belfast down to Fermanagh over the weekend.”

Mrs. Erskine added: “I suppose the good weather played a massive role in people getting out and about and thinking they could do what they normally would do when the sun shines and go to the local beauty spots. As we all know that certainly isn’t the case, the regulations haven’t been relaxed, the police are still carrying out their patrols and will be.”

To help stop this activity, Mrs. Erskine is encouraging people to notify the police if they believe people are “flouting the regulations”.

She said: “The main thing from the police is if anybody notices any instances of people who are flouting the regulations that the police should be made aware because that allows the police to go out to that particular area.”

She continued: “The police can’t be everywhere all at the one time and so the public has to be their eyes and ears too unfortunately in this instance.”

“I know a lot of local people are genuinely keeping to the regulations, they’re keeping to the rules, they are doing everything they can to protect their communities and it’s just so unfortunate that there seems to be people who are outside the normal community in Kesh coming in, and could potentially be spreading this virus. It is creating fear and a bit of anxiety as well in the community, that there was an increase of traffic, an increase of people in the local beauty spots,” Mrs. Erskine added.

She noted that people were spotted on jet skis at Muckross during the weekend: “I mean that just shouldn’t be happening. Say for example an accident happens, that creates further pressure on our health service at this particular time when we’re in this period of the peak where the curve could be rising at any time. So we can’t have any increased pressure on our health service at this moment in time.”

“People will end up being fined, they will have to face the consequences if they are flouting the regulations that are in place at the moment.

“The regulations aren’t there as advice, they are there to be heeded to and for people to listen to and adhere to them so that lives are protected and saved, that’s I suppose the bottom line in all of this,” Mrs. Erskine told this newspaper.

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