London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Apr 09, 2026

Covid: Cornwall tourists urged to 'stay away' as cases rise

Covid: Cornwall tourists urged to 'stay away' as cases rise

Tourists have been urged to stay away from Cornwall unless they have pre-booked a trip because of a huge spike in Covid cases.

The latest figures show Cornwall has 770 cases per 100,000 people, double the previous week's figure.

The UK also recorded 174 new Covid-related deaths on Tuesday - the highest figure since March.

Malcolm Bell, head of Visit Cornwall, is calling on visitors to help keep the region safe.

He said: "We are asking people not to come unless they have booked ahead and request they take a lateral flow test before, during and after their stay so that people can be safe and help us to manage the current spike."


Mr Bell said the county had witnessed "too many occurrences of overcrowding in honeypots" - places that attract mass tourism - and urged visitors to consider visiting less popular parts of Cornwall.

"We have over 300 beaches and lovely parts that can cope with visitors," he said.

On Monday, Cornwall Council said 4,700 cases may be linked to the Boardmasters festival held in Newquay.

About 800 of those positive cases are people who live in Cornwall.

Jack Stacey, from Staffordshire, told the BBC he caught Covid at Boardmasters and wished he had not gone.

"My whole family's got it now so I regret going to be honest… It wasn't worth it," he said.

The 20-year-old, who is not vaccinated, said he was "shocked" at how ill the virus made him, leaving him bed-bound for nine days.

Others were overjoyed at being able to party at a festival again.

Festival organisers said in terms of Covid restrictions they "went above and beyond what was asked of us"

Rosie Breakwell, 22, from Bath, said she also caught Covid there after receiving her first jab, but said she "got over it pretty quickly".

"I live for festivals so not having one in two years was just horrendous, and it was just so nice being back in a sweaty field with everyone," she said.

Virologist Dr David Strain said music festivals were "something that is important for mental health of a younger generation who have missed out on so much".

The lecturer at the University of Exeter Medical School said: "It would have been nicer to have left it a month or so later so 17-18 year olds would have been double vaccinated."

But he said he "probably would have made the same decision" for it to go ahead.

Dr Strain said 18-25 year olds had a "very low risk of being hospitalised" with coronavirus, but the "real test" of how the festival had impacted young people would be the number of long Covid cases that emerged.

Analysis from Steve Holden, Newsbeat music reporter


Boardmasters is a good reminder that just because large events are now allowed to take place, Covid-19 hasn't simply disappeared.

As long as cases linked to festivals aren't landing people in hospital, making them seriously ill or putting pressure on the NHS, then organisers would argue the vaccination programme is reducing the public health risk.

We're about to head into a bank holiday that is likely to be the busiest weekend of live music and festivals in the UK since the start of the pandemic.

Thousands of people will be attending the likes of Reading and Leeds, Creamfields, Manchester Pride and All Points East in London and based on what's happened following Boardmasters, we can assume there will be a rise in cases linked to these events.

By now, anyone attending knows there's going to be a risk of catching or spreading the virus when a large group of people share the same space.

Festivals were "core to the mental health of the younger generation" said virologist Dr David Strain

A condition of entry to Boardmasters was use of the NHS Covid Pass - a measure recommended as best-practice for other large events.

Festival organisers said the systems they put in place meant more than 450 people were found to be at risk of passing on the virus "and as a result did not attend our Watergate Bay site or left the festival early".

They said: "We are grateful to them and everyone else who took the extra steps this year.

"No event is able to eliminate risk entirely.


"We look forward to sharing our experience with our local authority partners and other large events so we can all continue to provide much-needed economic benefit to our communities and entertainment to our loyal audiences."

In Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly there were 770 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days to 20 August.

The figure for the previous week to 13 August was 384 cases per 100,000.

Newquay's beaches have attracted tourists and surfers to the region

Three parts of Newquay now have the three highest Covid infection rates in England for the seven days up to 18 August.

The town's mayor, Lewis Gardner, said they had been working tirelessly "all summer" to keep Covid rates down.

"We've done vaccination pop-up centres, we've been handing out lateral flow tests, we've given advice to businesses," he told the BBC.

"And it just seems that everything we do, no matter what we do, the rates keep creeping up."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Meghan Markle’s Planned Australia Appearance Sparks Fresh Speculation
Starmer Warns Sustained Effort Needed to Ensure US–Iran Ceasefire Holds
UK to Partner with Shipping Industry to Rebuild Confidence in Strait of Hormuz, Cooper Says
UK Interest Rate Expectations Ease Following US–Iran Ceasefire Agreement
Starmer Signals Major Effort Needed to Fully Reopen Strait of Hormuz During Gulf Visit
UK Fuel Prices Face Ongoing Volatility Amid Global Pressures and Domestic Factors
Kanye West’s Planned Italy Festival Appearance Draws Debate After UK Entry Ban
Smuggling Routes Shift Toward Belgium as Migrant Crossings to UK Evolve
Ceasefire Offers Potential Relief for UK Fuel and Food Prices Amid Ongoing Uncertainty
Iran Conflict Raises Questions Over UK’s Global Influence and Military Preparedness
Senator McConnell Visits Kentucky to Highlight Federal Investment in Local Projects
Kanye West Barred from Entering UK as Legal Grounds Come into Focus
UK Denies Visa to Kanye West After Sponsors Withdraw from Wireless Festival
Trump-Era Forest Service Restructuring Leads to Closure of UK Lab Focused on Kentucky Woodland Health
Foreign Students in the UK Describe Harsh Living Conditions and Financial Pressures
Reform UK Proposes Visa Restrictions on Nations Pursuing Reparations Claims
Public Reaction Divides Over UK Decision to Bar Kanye West
Calls Grow for UK to Review US Base Access Following Concerns Over Escalating Rhetoric
UK Indicates It Will Not Permit Use of Its Bases for Potential US Strikes on Iran’s Energy Infrastructure
UK Prime Minister Defends Decision to Bar Kanye West, Questions Festival Booking
UK Accelerates Efforts to Harmonise Medical Technology Rules with United States
Wireless Festival Cancelled After Kanye West Denied Entry to the United Kingdom
Australia’s most decorated living soldier was arrested at Sydney Airport and charged with five counts of war-crime murder for the killing of unarmed Afghan civilians
The CIA’s Secret Technology That Can Find You by Your Heartbeat Successfully Locates Downed Airman
Operation Europe: Trump Deploys Vance to Hungary to Save the EU
King Charles Faces Criticism From Some UK Christians Over Absence of Easter Message
Former UK Defence Secretary Raises Concerns Over Ability to Counter Iran Missile Threat
UK Signals Non-Involvement in Iran Conflict as Trump Reasserts Firm Deterrence Stance
US and UK Strengthen Medical Device Cooperation Following Tariff Removal
Trump Backs Steve Hilton for California Governor, Highlighting Reform Agenda
UK Seeks Closer Ties With Anthropic as AI Policy Divergence Emerges Across Atlantic
Experts Warn of Evolving Extremism After Teens Arrested in UK Ambulance Arson Case
UK Convenes Talks to Safeguard Shipping Through Strait of Hormuz After Conflict Escalation
Trump Highlights Strong Leadership in Critique of UK Stance on Iran
UK Authorities Review Kanye West’s Entry Status Following Festival Backlash
UK Considers Deploying Aircraft Carrier for US Independence Day Celebrations Amid Renewed Transatlantic Focus
United Kingdom Moves to Attract AI Firm Anthropic Amid Tensions with US Defense Officials
RAF Intercepts Iranian Drones in Middle East to Defend Allied Security Interests
Labour Signals Shift on Foie Gras and Fur Restrictions to Advance EU Trade Talks
Seven Arrested Near RAF Base as UK Authorities Respond to Protest Activity
Economic Pressures Mount as Analysts Warn UK Growth Is Being Constrained by Policy Burdens
UK Green Party’s Push for Church-State Separation Sparks Debate Over National Identity
Strategic Island Emerges as Growing Challenge for United States and United Kingdom Defense Planning
Pepsi Pulls Sponsorship from UK Festival Following Backlash Linked to Kanye West
Signs Emerge of Declining Enthusiasm for Social Media in the United Kingdom
Security Alert Raised Ahead of Meghan Markle’s Planned Visit to Australia
UK Food Halls Defy Hospitality Slowdown, Emerging as Bright Spot in Challenging Market
UK Sets Firm Conditions for Military Action, Insisting on Legal Mandate and Clear Strategy
UK Medicines Regulator Launches Probe into Peptide Clinics Over Health Claims
New North Sea Drilling Unlikely to Significantly Cut UK Gas Imports, Analysis Finds
×