Teen who could die if she catches coronavirus: 'Why are people walking around Blackpool like nothing is going on?'

Elisha Swales, 17, of Wetherby Avenue, suffers from cystic fibrosis and has been isolating at home with her family since March.

She said: “It’s frustrating seeing pictures of Blackpool so packed right now, because me and my family haven’t been able to leave the house properly for three months.

“I don’t understand how some people are walking about as if nothing is going on.”

It comes after Blackpool became increasingly busy during the recent nice weather, with the area being described as a coronavirus hotspot for tourists.

Blackpool had one of the highest R rates across the country one week last month, while the figure is thought to remain over one in the north west, which suggests the disease is still spreading.

Cystic fibrosis means Elisha is particularly vulnerable to the virus, and she has been advised to continue isolating by doctors despite lockdown measures easing across the country.

“The scary thing is when I go on my walk which I’m allowed now, I always feel on edge in case I catch it somehow,” she said.

“It’s all very strange to try get my head around and realise the affect it could have on me if I was to catch it.”

Elisha was doing a hairdressing apprenticeship, but this has also had to come to a stop because of the pandemic.

She said: “I feel like I’m missing out on a lot at the moment. I have no work I can do from home and it’s hard to find things to keep me occupied throughout the day.”

Elisha also said she has been annoyed at seeing so many people come to Blackpool, despite the already high infection rate within the area.

She added: “Tourists need to think of others before coming to Blackpool. It’s scary right now and I think people should be staying local to prevent it from getting any worse.”

More than 16,000 people signed an online petition calling on the Government to “close Blackpool to protect locals” as the town’s director of public health, Dr Arif Rajpura, said the R number here was 1.6 at one point – before dropping to 0.5.

But council leader Simon Blackburn said it would be “impossible” to shut the Fylde coast’s beaches and Promenades.

Elisha, who lives with her mum Rachel, dad John, older brother Declan, and younger brother Charlie, struggles to breathe as part of her condition – with Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the lungs.

She is required to do physiotherapy sessions every morning, and said: “When I wake up, I can’t just get in the shower and get ready the same as everyone else.

“When I go on my daily walks, I become short of breath very easily and even walking around the house can become tiring and make me cough a lot.”

Declan, 19, added: “Living with someone who is shielding also means everyone else in the house has to shield. This means all of our social lives are now online and it’s just not the same as being with your mates.

“It is worrying – not knowing the effect the virus could have on Elisha. We have to be super careful and constantly wash our hands throughout the day to reduce any risk.”