The Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd has issued a statement following a busy bank holiday weekend.
Sunday saw hundreds of individual travel to tourist and holiday hotspots around Northern Ireland, causing overcrowding and traffic problems.
A one point on Sunday, PSNI officers closed off roads leading into the seaside town Portrush.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Todd said: “I am appealing to the public to continue to play their part to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and stay at home on this Bank Holiday Monday.
“We received a number of reports yesterday (Sunday, 24th May) of people visiting local beauty spots, beaches and parks across Northern Ireland.
“In particular, in the North Coast, where we had to put in place traffic diversions, we spoke with a number of non-residents who had travelled to the town from a variety of areas. In Portstewart we saw a similar rise in visitor numbers to the area. Large numbers of people were also reported in Newcastle.
“Today our officers will be on patrol in a number of popular beauty spots across Northern Ireland and I want to remind everyone of the advice from our public health partners and Northern Ireland Executive about social distancing and movement.
“While people may be tempted to get in their cars and drive to one of our beauty spots and make the most of the good weather, I would encourage people not to travel to popular beaches or beauty spots for their daily exercise if it is not necessary, as social distancing may not be achievable where large crowds are gathered.
In conclusion, Mr Todd finished: “I would urge you, the public, to help us by staying at home as much as possible so that we can be sure our roads, streets, villages, towns and cities are safe for everyone and so that we can all maintain a safe social distance.
“Each of us can play our part to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, protect the NHS and save lives and it is important we continue to adhere to Northern Ireland Executive regulations.”
