Would you go to an outdoor gym?

[Eckhart]

No equipment, small group, highlighting the need to respect social distancing. In a park or open space.

@Eckhart

I don't in any way think you're a sandwich sort - I think you fully understand the guidelines and that you think it's all fun and games and that you've found a loophole - it's not a game - and your loophole could cost lives.

If you go out to your group thing, you are being selfish, you know it.

I agree that it's a grey area.

The reason that we're being told not to exercise in small groups is because too many people either have no idea of safe distances or don't care. (as shown at the end of my post).

It does sound as if this group is going to follow the rules and enforce them.

Dp went to Tesco this morning to do our usual weekly shop. While he was waiting for the tills to open, he phoned to let me know what he could or couldn't get.

He was waiting in a non-food aisle, right away from the tills with nobody else anywhere near him. He said that there was a queue at every till, no distance between shoppers, lots of people chatting to each other. And they were almost all NHS workers!

Ok.

Are you staying 6ft from your neighbours at all times?

I'm not being deliberately obtuse. What's the difference between my balcony mates and the exercise group, assuming both keep their individuals an appropriate distance away?

Why do you assume I'm a she? Both men and women use MN.

Ffs chatting from balconies across a road is not the same as a group gym class in a car park

The are SO many exercise options for at home or properly alone. Don't join in a group, no matter how sensible they sound like they are being.

@NuffSaidSam Yes. We did anyway, before all this. It'd be a bit odd getting closer, with neighbours. We've talked about maintaining the appropriate distance, too.

If you were exercising on your balconies it would be fine. You are leaving the house and travelling to another location for the park session

Sweat
Being closer than two balconies apart
Coughs travelling in the air
Increased respiration rate (transmission more likely)
Opportunities for micro abrasion on the rough car park surface (transmission more likely)
Meeting as a group when we have been told not to (encouraging less vigilant thinking in self and others)
People arriving and leaving - its very hard to keep 6m apart at ALL times.

Sorry Tem that was a stupid example I gave. I should have said the next door neighbours, we're all in the same group that meets most evenings.

@TemoraryUsername
The OP seems to think that people who aren't joining outdoor fitness classes during a global pandemic aren't joining because they are jealous they don't have beach bodies. OP's mental and physical health requires them to be outside in a public space in a group and risk spreading a deadly virus to others.

Ok, so the neighbours are fine.

Now, do you accept the universally acknowledged fact, that it's easier to coordinate two people than say for example five people?

That is, if you tell two people 'stay 6ft apart' that is more likely to happen, than if you have three people or four people or five people etc?

That the more people you add in the more difficult it is to maintain any kind of rule/regulation.

Do you understand and accept that?

A friend from my closed gym is running some informal workouts in a semi private part of a very spacious park - uses cones to delineate distance. Everyone is very separate, but working at the same time and being encouraged and motivated, . Using their own mats and weights/ bands. I’ve seen a video someone made of it - at no time was anyone anything like as close as the minimum distance guidelines, nor did they suddenly all forget and have a group hug at the end.

It’s a lovely day - when the weather turns again, they will all do it separately at home, but at the moment this is not putting anyone at risk ( though I am sure someone will find a way to suggest that it does )

Mooserp, we're not on lockdown. We're OK to go out, and excercise outdoors, as long as we maintain distance from others.

The group I know of that is stringent about distancing is using an app do all members tune in to listen to coach. They aren’t necessarily even in the same park, and need even be in public at all.

The idea that some groups are OK is going to lead to the current levels of restrictions failing,

Which is shot for all of us

How small is the group? If it is say, 4 people, led by an instructor, it should be fairly easy to enforce.

Similarly, 4 friends together in a garden, no touching or sharing anything, staying a big distance apart - safe or risky?

Obviously if people are in isolation because they are high risk or have symptoms, then 100% stay home. But the social distancing rules are less clear.

Nuff Yes. I think, aside from the obvious, that's maybe why it's a small group. 6, I think. I imagine a PT would be able to make sure everybody stayed in their delineated box with a group that small. Totally different if it was 20 people or something.

Ok.

Do you accept that this isn't the only outside gym class happening?

Do you accept that there will be people up and down the country, some of them maybe in the very same park/open space as this one doing the same thing?

And do you accept that if this one is ok, then in theory all the others are too?

So we're not giving the greenlight to one trainer and 6 people, we're giving the greenlight to all the trainers and all the groups of six people.

Do you understand and accept that?

Nope

And yes when I say group...there were 4 of us.

Easy to stay apart

No need. You can exercise at home or go jogging even (provided you stay 6ft away from other people)

That is NOT social distancing. If you want to arrange something then do it over video

All this is “Is it Ok to do this activity” needs shutting down with a lockdown and state of emergency. For each outdoor gym session, trip to the park, hiking in the Lake District... and however convinced people are that they’ll be maintaining a safe distance, it will lead to some of the people having to buy petrol to go there, thinking while I’m out I might as well just nip and buy a bottle of water etc etc, al of which spread human contact.

The public need protecting from their own stupidity.

DH and I have done our usual run in the park this morning. We kept well away from family groups who seem to have come out to use the play equipment.

My gym PT has moved sessions from the gym to outside - sessions remain on a 1:1 basis with plenty of distance.

Actually the public need protecting from the stupidity of our govt.

Instead of worried about people with no symptoms in a park...

Worry about this

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coronavirus-flights-from-italy-iran-and-china-still-landing-3v7363rxr

Sleep tight knowing daily flights from Beijing and Rome are landing and thrice weekly flights from Tehran.

It will never work here until this is stopped for fuck sake