Cornwall sees spike of Covid cases following G7 summit

Cornwall sees spike of Covid cases following G7 summit and influx of holidaymakers to its resorts

  • Covid cases in Cornwall skyrocket after G7 summit and influx of holidaymakers
  • Infections increased overall to 59.8 per 100,000 in the seven days to June 11  
  • Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said hotels were having to close 

Coronavirus cases in Cornwall have skyrocketed following the G7 summit and an influx of holidaymakers.

Infections in the county have increased ten-fold in the last week, latest figures show, potentially imperilling staycations.

There are fears the tourist hotspot may have to close to visitors after thousands of delegates, protesters, extra police and the world’s media descended on Cornwall for last weekend’s meeting.

This was coupled with thousands of families holidaying there over the half-term break.

Leaders of the G7 pose during a group photo at the G7 meeting at the Carbis Bay Hotel in Carbis Bay, St. Ives, Cornwall, England, Friday, June 11, 2021

The Indian variant is now dominant in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, where infections have increased overall to 59.8 per 100,000 in the seven days to June 11 – up from 5.6 the week before.

St Ives, which hosted the summit, had a case rate of 517.5 per 100,000 in the week to June 11 – one of the highest in the country. 

In Falmouth, where much G7 activity took place, cases rose sharply to 382.1 per 100,000. The summit itself ran from June 11 to 13.

Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel walk with Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Ursula von der Leyen, IMario Draghi, Yoshihide Suga and Charles Michel at the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, Friday June 11, 2021

Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, said hotels were already having to close because of staff shortages.

He told the i newspaper: ‘Even if people are able to come to Cornwall, they may well have to have a picnic lunch as staffing levels are so low due to a lack of workers and Covid infections among those that remain.’

A No 10 spokesman said all G7 attendees were regularly tested.

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