Let’s be honest - UK lockdown is the most relaxed worldwide

[Millicent10]

Although a lot of people on here are at home 24/7 and never go out I have been working throughout this crisis (in a LA office). I have a relatively large family and my DH also works as he is a key worker (food factory). Basically, through necessity, we are out a lot. DCs also go out for a walk. Not once have we been stopped by the police, tbh the only police I have seen have been in the supermarket ( before Covid they were also scarce and only saw them occasionally queuing for a Macdonalds). From everything that I have read, the UK must have the most relaxed lockdown in the world, we are very lucky.

[Janeinthemiddle]

Agree

[SquashedFlyBiscuit]

Nope. Relatives in Australia can meet with 1 other person from a different household for a walk. That person can vary. Also more open.

They closed voarders early though so very few cases.

[jamaisjedors]

Lucky? 2and highest death count in Europe now!

[FliesandPies]

Certainly far more relaxed than other European countries with high infection rates - I'm still stunned by hearing the other day that children in Spain were only just being allowed out after 6 weeks! And then only for 1 hour!

I think that's horrendous and i'm so glad they didn't try to implement it here plus having to have a written excuse for leaving the house - it's too much and I think (hope) people here would have rebelled against it.

The lockdown here put a lot of personal responsibility on people to adhere and that's how it should be.

[IDefinitelyHaveFriends]

Turkey? Sweden? Texas?

[elp30]

I'm in Texas and we have hardly had a "lockdown".

The governor shut down schools for the school year back at the beginning of April (school will return in late August) and he also shut down restaurants, clubs, gyms, beaches, state parks, bars, hairdressers, and shopping malls at that time too. However, restaurants were allowed to offer "to-go" orders and in a really unusual move for our state, he allowed alcoholic drinks from restaurants "to-go" as well. Our grocery stores have social distancing orders in place and the mayors of the major cities instituted a mandatory mask order with a $1,000 fine but the governor over-ruled it. The police forces have said that they would not be issuing fines.

Starting tomorrow, May 1st, he's allowed Texas beaches and parks to re-open with social distancing in place. Additionally, movie theatres, shopping malls and restaurants will re-open. However, there will only be a 25% occupancy allowable.

[ShambalaHambala]

Not sure I would describe us as 'lucky' with our current stats.

[LilacTree1]

Not at all

Some US states have had a better set of regulations e.g. with the Governor og Florida emphasising that the elderly really need fresh air and exercise. No trapping the over 70s indoors there. They can play golf etc.

Germany encouraged people to get out and about and gasp sit on benches. I think they also allowed gatherings of up to 5, didnt police the visits to private family homes and even allowed visits to second homes.

Australia, some states allowed you to see partners, or was it anyone, for a two person meet up.

Those are just the ones I know of.

I shudder to think what condition mum will be in when I see her.

There should be massive human rights cases in Europe.

[Littlepond]

My sister is in Australia and she goes out to get take out coffee everyday. No limits on how many times to go out. Australia sounds a lot more relaxed than us!

[Arseit]

Sweden.
Do you watch the news?

[99victoria]

My son is in Switzerland. He is working from home and the grocery shops have some of the 'non-essential' aisles cordoned off but they are allowed to move about freely and visit with friends in small groups. He and his fiancée went away last weekend for a break in the mountains.

[Daffodil101]

Agreed. However the Brits would never have stayed at home and Boris knew it. I’ve stayed home and kept my kids off school despite being a key either. Supermarket once a week.

If I hadn’t been able to go out walking, I’d have gone anyway.

[mirandawastoogoodforsteve]

Australia is made up of different states with different premiers you know. The restrictions were different depending on where you lived and the number of cases. Queensland's lockdown was quite strict. South Australia we weren't allowed out more than 2 people at a time and from the same household. Shops have been closed other than food and supermarkets mostly. Other shops organised purchasing online with contactless collection.

[LilacTree1]

miranda I know but I couldn’t be arsed dividing it up for OP

Miranda was WAAAAY too good for Steve.

[Reginabambina]

I’m in Australia. Where we are schools and workplaces (unless you work in hospitality/tourism/gyms) are open. We are allowed to meet with up to ten people at a time, this includes things like having parties or group exercise. I wouldn’t even call it a lockdown, it’s more just extreme social distancing with a lockdowns for certain industries. The only thing they’re strict about is quarantining people who they cross the state border.

[Reginabambina]

*restaurants are allowed to stay open for take away. Sone other shops have closed by their own volition but when I was out the other day most of the ones I went past were open.

[BakedCam]

The lockdown is relaxed compared to that of other countries. Where it failed was with the police powers that then tired to enforce measures, which hasn't gone down well.

History will tell us who got this right and who got it wrong.

[Reginabambina]

@mirandawastoogoodforsteve in SA you’re allowed to meet up with up to ten people. We went out the other day in a group of five.

[LilacTree1]

Baked the police tried to enforce rules that didn’t exist. That’s why they lost respect.

[BigChocFrenzy]

Nope, just different

In my part of Germany at least, the rules were less strict about what we could do outside:

e.g. Sunbath, sit on benches, provided we kept 2m distance
And no "guidelines" about how long or how often we could exercise per day

BUT
there were stricter regulations about indoors, such as shops

e.g bike shops only allowed to open last Monday
along with non-food retailers with less than 800 sqm, which is small

Also, from last Monday we have to wear masks / face coverings in shops, public transport, taxis

Hefty fine for non-compliance (except in 1 German state where it's still only advisory)

[Kokeshi123]

At the risk of repeating everything I've already said on the other thread and sounding like a stuck record....

if we want to get deaths and hospitalizations down and keep them down, we need to spend a bit less time worrying about people walking around in non-crowded open air environments (which is incredibly unlikely to spread the virus).... and a bit more time worrying about the fact that when you lockdown without attempting to move infected people to out-of-home quarantine (= unused hotel etc.), you are basically just leaving infected people to infect most of the other members of their households.

Hence those terrifyingly high, continuingly high death figures we are seeing in Italy and Spain, which have wasted time and energy doing things like stopping kids from going out for a walk while the virus continues to burn through families.

[Kokeshi123]

there were stricter regulations about indoors, such as shops

Sounds like the usual Teutonic common sense there!

The literature suggests that the virus barely seems to spread at all in outdoor environments, unless we are talking about "crowded event" type environments (which most certainly should be banned as part of social distancing).

[MarysInTheDyson]

Sweden

[DroppedBoxxedRuth]

Maybe @Reginabambina in your first post you should have narrowed down your 'I'm in Australia and we can do...' 🙄

I'm also in Australia, Victoria to be more precise, and we can't all do what you just proclaimed.

We are still stage 3 restrictions, only out for essential reasons, no visiting family, no large groups, remote learning still.

[Reginabambina]

@DroppedBoxxedRun my post was very much directed to the Brits on the thread, a lot of them don’t even known that we’ve got a devolved system of government here. On a national level the restrictions are even more limited.