Exmoor National Park has urged visitors to maintain social distancing to slow the spread of coronavirus and protect local, rural communities.
Visitors have been flocking to usually quiet national parks following the announcement that pubs, cafes, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres were to close.
With fair weather over the weekend, reports were of unprecedented numbers of visitors for the time of year.
Campsites and caravan sites are also reported to be busy across the UK, and people are taking out long-term lets at holiday cottages.
Exmoor National Park, located in Somerset and north Devon, is one authority now raising concerns over the potential spread of the Covid-19 to vulnerable rural communities.
Farmers and land managers are vital to ensuring Exmoor's distinct and diverse landscape is maintained and enhanced.
There have been similar appeals in Snowdonia, Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands.
Sarah Bryan, Chief Executive of Exmoor National Park, said: "We understand people’s wish to spend time in beautiful places like Exmoor at this extremely worrying time, when all other sources of respite are few and far between.
"But with people’s lives and livelihoods at stake, its vital that government guidelines around social distancing are strictly followed to slow the spread of the virus and protect our local communities and NHS services."
The National Park Authority has offered help to local agencies to respond to the crisis and ensure the needs of vulnerable residents and those in self-isolation are met.
It is also working to support local businesses – many of them farmers – to help them cope with the inevitable economic impact of cancelled events and lost custom.
“Past experience of foot and mouth disease and the blizzard conditions of 2018 that left whole villages cut off shows the incredible resilience of Exmoor communities, who are already pulling together to support one another," Ms Bryan said.
"We now need visitors to do the same by adhering to government restrictions around unnecessary travel and instead seeking opportunities to connect with nature closer to home.
"We look forward to welcoming them back here when circumstances allow."
