Clear guidance for the public on what to do and what not to do when visiting the countryside during the foot and mouth outbreak is being circulated to local authorities, tourist offices and is now available on the DETR and other websites. The guidance will be updated regularly, so people have the best possible information in the run up to the Easter holidays and beyond. The Forestry Commission, British Waterways and others are now considering whether to lift some of their voluntary precautionary restrictions on access. Do nothing which could help spread the virus. Stay away from livestock and their pastures.
Most footpaths remain closed.
But you can safely visit many areas, if you are sensible and follow advice. The Rural Task Force, set up by the Prime Minister on Tuesday and led by Environment Minister, Michael Meacher, has been urgently reviewing existing advice. Tourists and other holiday makers and potential visitors, worried that they might help spread the virus, have been avoiding the countryside completely, which is hitting local businesses generally and the tourist industry in particular. Keep out signs mean just that. No one should risk spreading the disease and adding to the misery of the farming community.