May 13 - why?!

[IamAporcupine]

Apologies if this has been mentioned already, but is anyone else finding this totally ludicrous?

The three key dates are:
13 May - do more excercise
1 June - back to school, maybe
1 July - some industries open, maybe

First, what do they really want to acchieve with 'encouraging' people to do more excersice? Is it an euphemism for - we want you out and about so more people get infected?

And then, why oh why did they pick Wednesday 13th (an not today) as if this was something meticulously and carefully calculated?!

[IamAporcupine]

Just me then

[Ponoka7]

They are still in negotiations with the transport unions. Unless we get full public transport services, people can't get back to work. It needed to be phased in. Firstly for the practicalities and secondly because we now know that we become symptomatic on day five, so it's a bit of a social/health experiment.

People were breaking lock down, people were getting nervous about that, so the Government had to appear to be in control.

They've given us permission to do things, that people had started to do anyway.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

Well, I live in a flat with no garden, so being able to go out more often will make a big difference for me and DS. Many others will be in the same situation.

[IamAporcupine]

@Waxonwaxoff0 - I am aware of that, and agree that it will make a lot of difference to you and those in your situation.

I am just wondering why they picked Wednesday 13th, as if this was some magical date. Why have they not said 'from tomorrow you can go out more'?

[IamAporcupine]

@Panoka7
They've given us permission to do things, that people had started to do anyway.

Fully agree that's why I find the '13 May' date even more amusing

[AhGoGo]

The 50 page document goes in front of parliament today. Guess some legislation needs adjusted so everything is in place from Wednesday.

Same as lockdown was announced on a Monday but not in full effect legislation wise until Thursdays.

[Waxonwaxoff0]

No idea about the date, they probably just picked a random one from thin air!

[IamAporcupine]

@AhGoGo - that could be it, but at the time, even if the lockdown legislation was not in full effect until that Thursday 26 March - the government didn't say 'from Thursday you cannot go out'.

Not a big deal of course, it just makes me feel, as Waxonwaxoff0 says, that it was picked at random...

[YeOldeTrout]

I think the free exercise thing is to see how much people interact, whether they have any self-discipline to stop themselves from gatherings, and how much transmission actually happens (in the summer conditions).

[longcoffee]

The cynic in me is thinking they picked Wednesday because as of then the weather is turning to shite...

[Thisdressneedspockets]

Because it will require a slight change of legislation for it not to be unlawful.
Up to that being produced being in public spaces not exercising could still be an offence

[Thisdressneedspockets]

that could be it, but at the time, even if the lockdown legislation was not in full effect until that Thursday 26 March - the government didn't say 'from Thursday you cannot go out'.

They didn't say a lot of things. It suited them for people, including the police to act as if it was a lot tighter.

We could always exercise as much as we wanted in England. There was nothing expressly against traveling to exercise and the legislation always allowed for gatherings of no more than 2 not from the same household.

In essence, not much has changed although it seems the guidelines must go a little further than the the legislation allowed for them to need to update it by Wednesday. I'll be watching with interest, but I imagine it's too take the subjective quality away from what is reasonable.