Social isolating - Not!

[Lightning]

New guidelines just been published probably as clear as you are going to get still saying do not travel unnecessarily !

Article here https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52062209

New advice clarifies that people must use "open spaces" near to home, where possible.

• stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily
• you should only go outside alone or with members of your own household
• keep at least 2 metres apart from anyone outside your household at all times
• gatherings of more than two in parks or other public spaces have been banned and the police will enforce this
• if you have a garden, make use of the space for exercise and fresh air
• take hygiene precautions when you are outside, and wash your hands as soon as you are back indoors

Quote from the article you linked:
While the new advice does go further, it does not explicitly define what counts as "local", and whether or not people can use cars.

 

[Lightning]

In Finland they have just resolved this issue by locking down the wider Helsinki region, which has a higher infection count, to stop non essential travel in or out of the whole region using checkpoints manned by conscripts. There is no room for interpretation here!

 

[Lightning]

As a side issue where are full timers suppose to go? Campsites shut, unwelcome in rural areas. I’m glad I’m not in the U.K., Portugal, Spain or France at the moment.

 

[Scoobz1]

Quote from the article you linked:
While the new advice does go further, it does not explicitly define what counts as "local", and whether or not people can use cars.

I agree but a bit clear than what the Police commissioner was saying ...

Well whats local for you - 5 miles would seem reasonable to me but ... ! ?
Could you have got to an open space without travelling in a car ?
Were there any open spaces closer to you that you could have used ?

They would all be relevant considerations for me ...

 

[ArunAlec]

Not so funny now!

 

[Lightning]

I agree but a bit clear than what the Police commissioner was saying ...

Well whats local for you - 5 miles would seem reasonable to me but ... ! ?
Could you have got to an open space without travelling in a car ?
Were there open spaces closer to you that you could have used ?

They would all be relevant considerations for me ...

For me it would be probably within my county. I dont agree that travelling by car would pass on the infection. I wear gloves at petrol stations and wash my hands before touching my face. If others do the same the risk is minimal. I think there is a balance between peoples mental health and the increased risk of spreading the infection. If you are lucky enough to live somewhere nice, you wouldnt have to drive anywhere.
They are still allowing construction workers to work together for example. There has to be some common sense.

 

[Amarillo]

I agree but a bit clear than what the Police commissioner was saying ...

Well whats local for you - 5 miles would seem reasonable to me but ... ! ?
Could you have got to an open space without travelling in a car ?
Were there any open spaces closer to you that you could have used ?

They would all be relevant considerations for me ...

It seems that a degree of common sense needs to be applied - it is advice rather than legislation which is there to prevent gatherings of more than two people. For example, if it is hissing down with rain and the local parks are all empty, exercising there may be the sensible thing to do. However, in fine weather when the local parks are all full, travelling a bit further afield to ensure social distance may well be the sensible thing to do.

 

[Digger]

If it saves lives then we need to just stay local and keep our distance. Simple instruction but some seem incapable of acting responsibly (those who had barbecues etc - not those on this forum). As the Chinese seem to have grasped the situation by enforced isolation - if it works, why not? We have lost a friend to this virus and I don't want to lose anyone else.

 

[Scoobz1]

that's from today. not yesterday. they keep changing the rules. i'm off to work now. later everyone.

Good man - wish i had some work to go to and i would be tempted to do the same! Think I might get the spade out and do a touch of gardening if that sodden wind would subside

 

[Velma's Dad]

The govt has now 'clarified' that exercise needs to be 'local'*. They don't say what 'local' means. Or if you can or can't drive to that local exercise venue.

* The actual advice says: "stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily."

 

[Jay gas]

The govt has now 'clarified' that exercise needs to be 'local'*. They don't say what 'local' means. Or if you can or can't drive to that local exercise venue.

* The actual advice says: "stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily."

Local to me is walking around your neighbourhood not getting in your car to drive to exercise. We live 10minutes drive from the new forest and have not even contemplated driving there to exercise/walk the dog. I guess we are lucky here having pavements to exercise/walk the dog on. We have even managed to social distance from other people walking on the same pavement by crossing the road and walking on the other pavement, it’s made easier by the distinct lack of traffic of which there would be less if all people were only carrying out essential journeys as part of there day to get food medicine or urgent medical care or go to there essential job

 

[Velma's Dad]

Local to me is walking around your neighbourhood not getting in your car to drive to exercise. We live 10minutes drive from the new forest and have not even contemplated driving there to exercise/walk the dog. I guess we are lucky here having pavements to exercise/walk the dog on. We have even managed to social distance from other people walking on the same pavement by crossing the road and walking on the other pavement, it’s made easier by the distinct lack of traffic of which there would be less if all people were only carrying out essential journeys as part of there day to get food medicine or urgent medical care or go to there essential job

Everyone's situation is different. I am lucky and have green countryside from the bottom of the garden. But if I had very young children and lived on a main road I guess it might be better all round to throw them in the car and drive to a park a couple of miles away, than to try and walk there.

 

[Jay gas]

Everyone's situation is different. I am lucky and have green countryside from the bottom of the garden. But if I had very young children and lived on a main road I guess it might be better all round to throw them in the car and drive to a park a couple of miles away, than to try and walk there.

I have a 5 year old child who rides his bike on a pavement who would love to ride his bike in the park but we won’t do that because that would involve a journey by car which is not essential. And as that is not essential it is now against the law which is quite rightly being enforced by the police.
STAY HOME, PROTECT THE NHS, SAVE LIVES

 

[Lightning]

I have a 5 year old child who rides his bike on a pavement who would love to ride his bike in the park but we won’t do that because that would involve a journey by car which is not essential. And as that is not essential it is now against the law which is quite rightly being enforced by the police.
STAY HOME, PROTECT THE NHS, SAVE LIVES

It’s not against the law.

 

[Jay gas]

It’s not against the law.

So why would you be fined for making a non essential car journey

 

[Lightning]

So why would you be fined for making a non essential car journey

There is currently no law preventing you from using a car to drive somewhere to take exercise. They cannot fine you for this, but they can fine you for a group of more than two people, or behaving in a way likely to spread infection.

On Friday, the NPCC said that country walks were not banned under legislation that came into force on Thursday - nor was exercising more than once a day.

 

[Velma's Dad]

So why would you be fined for making a non essential car journey

You can't be fined for making a 'non essential car journey'. That's not what the law says. It says "no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse". It goes on to list the reasonable excuses, and one of them is "to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household".

(https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/pdfs/uksi_20200350_en.pdf)

The law is silent as to whether you can use your car for that purpose - or indeed, what type of activity counts as exercise, regardless of whether a cabinet minister has subsequently said golf isn't exercise.

The government guidelines and exhortations and the law are not the same. You can only be prosecuted under the law.

 

[Jay gas]

There is currently no law preventing you from using a car to drive somewhere to take exercise. They cannot fine you for this, but they can fine you for a group of more than two people, or behaving in a way likely to spread infection.

On Friday, the NPCC said that country walks were not banned under legislation that came into force on Thursday - nor was exercising more than once a day.

If you want to knit pick it fine do that. The moral law would be let me see..... stay home protect the nhs and save lives. If you feel that it is an essential journey in your car to take exercise then that would be your choice. But while the vast majority of people will follow quite clear guidelines the few people who choose not to will ultimately cause the majority to have their movement and freedoms restricted possibly further and for longer

 

[Lightning]

If you want to knit pick it fine do that. The moral law would be let me see..... stay home protect the nhs and save lives. If you feel that it is an essential journey in your car to take exercise then that would be your choice. But while the vast majority of people will follow quite clear guidelines the few people who choose not to will ultimately cause the majority to have their movement and freedoms restricted possibly further and for longer

I‘m not nit picking. It’s a statement of fact. The term ’essential’ is subjective. It will be essential for some and not for others. It will not however be against the law.
Your moral superiority is misplaced.

 

[T6 CFO]

I’ve been decorating all day and just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading this.

Who gives a monkeys about the exact wording or what someone said that contradicted someone else. These people are trying to stop a virus spreading and there’s people on here obsessed with every comma and full stop and possible interpretation of the guidance.

It’s obvious that you can’t leave it up to everyone to be sensible, there have to be simple rules. These aren’t laws that committees have spent months fine tuning. The spirit and purpose of them is obvious. If anyone thinks it’s more important to find a way round them so they can have a walk they need to have a good look in the mirror. Yes you could travel 100 miles, 10 miles whatever isolated in your car, don’t touch anything, don’t break down and need a breakdown truck, whatever.

We all need to follow the obvious intention of the guidance and stop this nonsense.





Mike

 

[Jay gas]

I’m not being morally superior I’m just following the guidelines of the government that state stay local and don’t travel unnecessarily to get exercise. Now if people want to travel by car to a place of exercise then that is there choice it’s not for me to judge there actions, but those actions will affect others and if that is to a detriment of others than that is not right in my book

 

[Lightning]

I’ve been decorating all day and just wasted 10 minutes of my life reading this.

Who gives a monkeys about the exact wording or what someone said that contradicted someone else. These people are trying to stop a virus spreading and there’s people on here obsessed with every comma and full stop and possible interpretation of the guidance.

It’s obvious that you can’t leave it up to everyone to be sensible, there have to be simple rules. These aren’t laws that committees have spent months fine tuning. The spirit and purpose of them is obvious. If anyone thinks it’s more important to find a way round them so they can have a walk they need to have a good look in the mirror. Yes you could travel 100 miles, 10 miles whatever isolated in your car, don’t touch anything, don’t break down and need a breakdown truck, whatever.

We all need to follow the obvious intention of the guidance and stop this nonsense.





Mike

Its not case of finding a way around them. It’s a recognition that people’s circumstances are different. It is possible to both drive a car and still follow the intent of the guidance. They are not mutually exclusive.

 

[Joker 1299]

Its not case of finding a way around them. It’s a recognition that people’s circumstances are different. It is possible to both drive a car and still follow the intent of the guidance. They are not mutually exclusive.

Are you still living in the van?

 

[Lightning]

Are you still living in the van?

Yes

 

[Velma's Dad]

Yes

So when you drive it to the shops, you're not actually leaving home?