By Emma Dodd
Despite many caravan parks reopening this month, there’s a chance holidaymakers could be turned away, depending on where they live.
Caravan sites are implementing postcode checks on all guests as the government enforces local lockdowns to control outbreaks of coronavirus.
For example, the people of Leicester have been advised against all but essential travel after a spike in confirmed cases in the city.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, noted that Leicester had “ten per cent of all positive cases in the country over the past week”.
This has seen it go back into lockdown just as many parts of England are starting to reopen, but it is considered the most appropriate way to prevent a second wave of the virus.
Ros Pritchard, director general of the British Holiday and Home Parks Association (BH&HPA), has urged Leicester residents to “do the right thing”.
This advice will be extended to anyone who finds themselves living inside a locked down area moving forward.
When local lockdowns are announced, staff at caravan parks will cancel reservations for anyone booked to visit from those postcodes, reports The Mirror.
Holidaymakers can expect to get their money back, as the tourism industry has been forced to implement much more lenient cancellation policies to bolster a tentative return to travel.
Keeping visitors from locked down areas away is just one of the measures being taken by caravan sites to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.
Site capacities have been reduced, remote check-ins implemented and much stricter cleaning regimes have come into force.
Dan Yates, founder and managing director of camping site PitchUp, told The Express: “Given the fast-moving nature of COVID-19 news, [checking postcodes] does seem a reasonable step as long as postcodes can be accurately correlated with restricted areas.
“Site owners have been implementing COVID-19 Secure guidance to give customers the confidence to visit, and it is important to remain vigilant on this.”
To avoid the disappointment of being turned away from a caravan site, it’s important to follow any government advice about local lockdowns and rebook time away for later in the season.
