Coronavirus: East Yorkshire caravan site owners in clarity plea
A holiday park has called for "absolute clarity" on how to treat vulnerable people who are self-isolating at the site during the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision to close caravan sites was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday. An elderly couple staying at a site in East Yorkshire fear they will be risking their health if they leave. Margerie Thaw and her husband usually live with their daughter and her family. But they moved out to the site in the grounds of Burton Constable stately home, which has 430 homes, and are concerned about the impact moving back could have on their health. "Out daughter is at-risk - she has diabetes and asthma - and her husband is still working and there's two children," Mrs Thaw said. "So what happens there? We'll be at-risk." Mr Johnson told the country it was facing a "moment of national emergency" and that staying at home was necessary to protect the NHS, save lives and tackle "the biggest threat this country has faced for decades". New measures include a ban on public gatherings of more than two people and restrictions on people leaving their homes, except for food shopping or for medical treatment medicine, exercise or travelling to work in an essential job. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also issued a statement which says exceptions had been made for people who live permanently in caravan parks or "where their primary residence is not available". After receiving guidance from the industry's trade association, Burton Constable Holiday Park sent a letter to residents which said it would close and access barriers would be deactivated by 16:00 GMT on Wednesday. Rodrica Straker, from the park, said many people had come to the site to self-isolate and she wanted "straight line, black-and-white absolute clarity" from the authorities. "They're feeling that their residence where they normally live is not a safe environment for various reasons," she said. "They're being told they have to go back into a situation which they feel might be precarious - with loved ones who might be vulnerable, and in some case they really feel they don't want to be doing that." Follow BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to yorkslincs.news@bbc.co.uk.