LOO'S NEXT
Cornwall holiday park owner is ‘6 pings away’ from closing with 900 bookings after asking guests to clean the loos
A CORNWALL holiday park owner says he's just "six pings" away from closing with 900 bookings - after asking guests to clean the LOOS.
Patrick Langmaid of Mother Ivey's Bay in Padstow said hospitality and tourism are being failed by the NHS Test and Trace app's 'pingdemic'.
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Half a million people in England have been forced to self-isolate in the first week of July alone - amid claims neighbours are being told to stay home unnecessarily as they're being 'pinged' through walls.
And this morning, Mr Langmaid said Brits around the country could see holidays cancelled if the problem isn't sorted urgently.
Appearing on Good Morning Britain hours after he hit the headlines for asking paying visitors to clean toilet blocks, he said there's a "crisis across hospitality".
It comes as:
- Chris Whitty warns we could be back in lockdown within five weeks as cases spiral
- France could go on the travel red list over fears of a 'vaccine resistant' strain
- UK Covid deaths are at the highest rate since March
- Boris Johnson has warned of Covid's "continuing menace" - and says there are more deaths to come
- Medics have warned pregnant women are at risk of severe Covid when lockdown comes to an end
"I'm very much motivated by the need to look after guests' health, safety and wellbeing," he said.
"I have 900 touring bookings that are six pings away from me having to close toilet blocks and cancel holidays.
"We're on a knife edge and it's quite terrifying."
Mr Langmaid asked for help after a number of staff at his park were told to self-isolate by the app - despite having negative Covid tests.
"It's a huge ask," he admitted.
"I'm absolutely ashamed to be making this request, but these are desperate times.
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"The app is absolutely awful and the whole country is being over-pinged, unfortunately. Supply chains are being challenged."
And he told hosts Kate Garraway and Charlotte Hawkins he'll pay £10 an hour and offer discounts to visitors who agree.
Mr Langmaid wrote a letter to 1,000 guests to tell them of the troubles.
He said: "With your help, toilet blocks could be kept open, and touring holidays saved."
He told he was "desperate, fearful and anxious" that summer breaks could have to be cancelled.
The number of people pinged by the NHS app is forcing the country into a crisis, with schools and transport services brought to a standstill.
Kate had earlier joked the situation was a "bit of a pickle" - and said 'freedom day' "might be under threat from one of the things supposed to keep us safe".
"More people are having Covid, more people are getting pinged - it should be a sign it's working but actually it's breaking the system," she said.
'I'M ASHAMED TO ASK GUESTS TO CLEAN LOOS'
And it's emerged that some of those contacted by the app were forced to self-isolate for 10 days - despite never having come into face-to-face contact with an infected person, reports.
That's because the Bluetooth signal used is strong enough to penetrate walls - meaning neighbours are sending each other alerts by accident, source told the publication.
It was revealed yesterday that 530,126 alerts were sent in the most recent week - up a whopping 46 per cent on the week before.
The number is more than 10 times as many as in the week to June 2. In the final week of April, only 39,875 close contacts were identified.
One in five hospitality and retail workers are self-isolating, while NHS hospitals are struggling with up 25 per cent of their staff off.
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Meanwhile, in some areas, residents have been warned there aren't enough people to get their bins - with Merseyside locals told there'll be no collections until August.
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Communities Secretary Robert Jenrik told the LBC Radio: "We're concerned about absences as a result of being pinged, for example.
"That's one of the reasons why we do need a more proportionate approach."
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NHS Test and Trace app pings neighbours through walls
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