Following last night’s announcement by Prime Minister Boris Johnson of a full lockdown in the UK over the next three weeks, Bangor Marina in Northern Ireland has closed and is asking customers to stay away for the duration of the lockdown period to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.

In a statement on their Facebook page, the marina team said: “We wish to act responsibly, and in line with Government advice. So although it goes against everything we stand for, we have to ask our customers to keep away from Bangor Marina until the situation improves. Not easy, with bright and beautiful weather out there.

“We can only hope that by us all taking these restrictions seriously we can reduce the spread of this horrible disease, so that we can all get back on the water soon, in time to enjoy the summer boating season in July and August.”

As from today, Tuesday 24 March, Bangor Marina is taking the following steps:

• Customers should not be visiting our Bangor Marina, but should be following UK Government advice and avoiding all non-essential travel, including visiting their boat.
• The marina reception is closed. Most of the office-based team are now working remotely, so pick up the phone or email as you normally would. They will do their best to answer any questions or enquiries you may have about berthing or the operation of the marina. You can continue to make payments in all the usual ways, including through our online portal.
• Customers are respectfully asked not to ‘quarantine’ or ‘isolate’ themselves on their boats. You should remain in your primary residence. The marina insists its staff are “still busy looking after your boat”.
• If you haven’t yet confirmed your berthing plans for the next few months, please do so as soon as possible.

“We understand what a difficult time this is, but our whole team are firmly focused on riding out this storm with you, and we remain hopeful that the clouds will pass in time for us all to make the most of our summer boating season later in the year,” the statement added.

It’s expected that all marinas and sailing, boat and yacht clubs in Northern Ireland and Great Britain will be closed for the lockdown period, which will be reviewed by Easter Monday, 13 April.