Blue Lagoon in England Goes Black To Deter 'Instagrammers' During COVID-19 Lockdown

In an unlikely effort to encourage people to stay at home, police in England have started to dump black dye into a “blue lagoon”. This is also to discourage potential visitors from congregating, and to minimize the risk of another source of COVID-19 contagion through direct transmission.

United Kingdom’s Prime Minster Boris Johnson just issued a law banning residents from going out, according to CNN. The British PM also added that the police have the power to enforce the law in case people don’t follow the rules. However, people are still going out, visiting places like the limestone quarry in Harpur Hill, which has become a popular attraction because of its blue waters that made people dub it the “Blue Lagoon.”

The police, to enforce the law banning people from going out, decided to dye the lagoon black. This was in an effort to make the location look less appealing, according to the Buxton police department. They explained their efforts in a Facebook post that was seen Wednesday, and ended with a reminder for people to “please stay at home.”

Staying at home might be the best idea so far. The U.K. has banned all flights to and from the island as the local death toll already reached 1,228, Chronicle Live reported. Patients who tested positive in the U.K. ranged from ages 35 to 105. All of them — save for four — had underlying health conditions.

Johnson urged the people to “fight” against the virus while he himself was confirmed positive for COVID-19. Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chief Medical Officer Chris Witty were also tested positive. A doctor in the U.K. — a frontline health worker — was the first to die while treating patients positive with the deadly disease.

In the letter, Johnson offered some measure of assurance that the worst will soon be over. “We know things will get worse before they get better,” he said in the letter. He said that while that is true, the more people follow the rules laid down by authorities, there will be fewer lives lost and they can all return to normalcy soon.