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Original poster

to remind you that we are actually allowed outside?

396 replies

Pishposhpashy · 04/04/2020 23:25

I am following social distancing guidelines.

I am not seeing friends or family.

I am getting nearly all my food delivered online.

I am going out once a day for my allowed daily exercise. Yes, to my local park, because I live in London, in a flat with a 4 year old and no garden.

I am constantly seeing threads on here berating "idiots" for "flocking" to parks and suchlike. But the thing is, if I go to the park for my walk, and see other people there - they aren't "idiots", they are people doing the same thing I'm doing - their ALLOWED daily exercise!

I mean, if you have a garden, bully for you. But I don't, we are allowed out, and I will continue to take my son for a walk in the fresh air once a day.

OP posts:
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Inkpaperstars · 05/04/2020 07:11

I agree and I think..or at least hope...that most people who are out on there for one of the allowed reasons. I live a small upper floor flat with no outside space. It's going to be much harder when it gets hot because it is a sun trap. So we do try to get out but if we see people coming we keep changing direction. Have not been in a park recently so can't say how spaced out people are, but there is no reason they can't space out. If people arrive and it is already full, they have to go elsewhere or wait I guess.

There is doubt there are some idiots mixing households and lingering around outside for entertainment. They could mess things up for the rest of us, depends how many of them there are. I am not sure how the govt are monitoring things, but if the percentage of non complying people is too high for their modelling, things could get stricter. Which will be especially hard for us non garden dwellers.

Inkpaperstars · 05/04/2020 07:11

Bloody typos...no doubt

whitedaisies · 05/04/2020 07:12

I'm out nearly every day shopping because of the number of people I'm shielding, plus my own family. After that and working full time I don't have energy to exercise however I'm determined to change that this week and will do a brisk walk/cycle every evening. I'll frankly ignore and criticism or dirty looks. Many people are doing their absolute best

DefinatelyAWeeGobshite · 05/04/2020 07:12

I was in the garden earlier in the week with DH and our two kids. It’s our garden, not shared, and the kids were running around/playing on their scooters while we brushed up some leaves and just generally tidied up, probably stayed out for around an hour or so.

I took the kids inside after a while and DH came in to say a woman shouted out the window that we all need to observe social distancing Hmm it’s OUR garden! In the garden behind us there was another family out in their garden, so it seemed she was shouting it at all of us. There’s a 6ft wall that separates all the gardens too. Madness.

vanillandhoney · 05/04/2020 07:13

Totally agree. The number of people spying on their neighbours and posting about it on here and on Facebook is pretty appalling when you think about it.

Everyday on our local groups someone writes about how they're going to report other people for being out doing Y - the reporter is normally also someone out doing Y, it's just they've been doing it for years so obviously that's okay then Hmm

Luckily more and more people are cottoning on to the stupidity of it and these photographers are getting called out on their appalling behaviour!

Voxx · 05/04/2020 07:19

Totally agree. My DCs and I have been going out for a walk/run every day and will continue to do so while it is still allowed. We are vigilant about social distancing. Yesterday, it was a harder as there were more people about. We managed it though. Today, in case it’s more crowded because of the weather, we will be out by 7.30.

IrisAtwood · 05/04/2020 07:19

Totally agree. The number of people spying on their neighbours and posting about it on here and on Facebook is pretty appalling when you think about it

It’s horrible isn’t it?

IrisAtwood · 05/04/2020 07:21

I have been going out for a walk/run every day and will continue to do so while it is still allowed

Me too. I’m high risk and am day 25 of only going out for a walk.

vanillandhoney · 05/04/2020 07:25

It’s horrible isn’t it?

Totally. And the utter glee in the posts like "I'm going to call the police on you - your actions are disgusting".

You can see why some people fell so quickly under Hitlers spell - so keen to get their neighbours fined or imprisoned Hmm

IrisAtwood · 05/04/2020 07:34

You can see why some people fell so quickly under Hitlers spell - so keen to get their neighbours fined or imprisoned

There is a kind of glee involved with pointing the finger and heaping abuse on ‘transgressors’. Very unpleasant. Most people are doing their best, and who knows why the minority who appear to be ignoring advice are doing so.

There’s a big difference between reminding people we interact with if they do get too close and posting nasty, vicious comments about other people.

Straycatstrut · 05/04/2020 07:42

I got accused of pretty much murder by going out.

I didn't go out for a couple of days and my Springer spaniel (10 months) declared war on the house and contents and the kids declared war on each other. I was sobbing loudly. We were all screaming at each other.

We make sure we get out every day now in the countryside. Lucky to have it on our doorstep. We have lovely(ish!) days when we get out for an hour.

The problem is people outside who aren't SDing properly on the pathways. They drive me mad.

cologne4711 · 05/04/2020 07:42

You can see why some people fell so quickly under Hitlers spell - so keen to get their neighbours fined or imprisoned

I made a comment on my local COVID-19 support group about being shocked about the "coronastasi" and was told that it concerns us all if people break the rules. Yes of course, that's exactly how the Nazi and SED governments "pitched" informing in Nazi and East Germany.

Where I am, I've not seen anyone breaking the rules.

Original poster
Pishposhpashy · 05/04/2020 07:44

I do manage to SD in the busy park btw. I stop and let others move past. I move off the pathway. It isn't that hard. I have more of an issue walking down the street because even if it is literally me and one other person they're so narrow I cannot SD unless I step into the road.

OP posts:
Straycatstrut · 05/04/2020 07:46

There is a kind of glee involved with pointing the finger and heaping abuse on ‘transgressors’. Very unpleasant.

There always is. Doesn't even have to be an actual rule break.

I fed my kids frozen pizza and garlic bread last night with icecream after (I can't afford takeaways)... can you imagine the comments if I posted that on here though?!

Straycatstrut · 05/04/2020 07:48

^^ pizza wasn't actually frozen it was heated with quorn chicken and sweetcorn chucked on it!

stripesareforlife · 05/04/2020 07:49

Some people are taking the micky with it though. Last night there was about 8 teenagers hanging outside my neighbours house smoking weed, someone called the police and they did a drive by. No one was out by that point.

pictish · 05/04/2020 07:49

I agree vanilla.

Thanks for posting this OP. You are of course, quite right. All the nosey parkers are revealing themselves. Our local residents’ forum is full of beady-eyed curtain-twitching gits, champing to interfere with and/or report others for daring to be seen outside, while their ilk egg them on in the comments.

I also agree that with gyms, classes, clubs, sports facilities, events and competitions all off the table for now, people will indeed seek to exercise in ways in which they are able to. Even couch potatoes will get fed up with looking at the same four walls eventually and head outside. Obviously local green spaces will see more traffic than usual. They are not idiots, morons or selfish...they are operating as permitted!
Mind your own business, self-appointed stickybeaks!

Having said that, I am admittedly quite disgruntled by the arrival of newbies on my regular trail run where I rarely see a soul...but I know it’s my petty, territorial problem so I smile, wave and give them a friendly greeting. Can’t wait till they all disappear back to their spin class, football club, couch and telly.
In the meantime I’ll expect to see them in passing as they have every right to be.

BananaPlant · 05/04/2020 07:51

Someone on fb posted a picture of the local high street with about 5 people in it, despairing at all the people out when they should be staying in. Someone pointed out they were probably shopping.

Yesterday someone was also having a go on fb at anyone doing their daily exercise as we should all be staying in. This fb spying and reporting is just awful.

Doryhunky · 05/04/2020 07:52

Lord Sumption and David Davis agree

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8188245/Our-police-stop-acting-like-power-mad-Hodges-Dads-Army.html

Original poster
Pishposhpashy · 05/04/2020 07:52

I also was under the impression that simply walking past someone with the virus, even if less than 2m away, was pretty low risk unless they coughed or sneezed, especially when outdoors.

OP posts:
TeacupDrama · 05/04/2020 07:52

It's not 1 smartie in a hundred though, roughly 1% of those with covid 19 die, of that 1% only 1% have no underlying conditions so for a healthy person with no health conditions the risk is 1% of 1% ie 1 in 10,000 this risk depends on age too so the risk for healthy child teenager is closer to 1 in 60,000 while for the healthy 70 year old probably closer to 1 in 1000,

The other thing that matters is vital load, how much of the virus you have, so the closer you have been to the source of the virus plus the time exposed makes a big difference which is why a health care worker treating covid patients has a greater risk than standing chatting to someone for 10 minutes which is a greater risk than touching the same surfaces as someone else and than momentarily passing someone closer than 2 metres which is greater than being in the next garden

Original poster
Pishposhpashy · 05/04/2020 07:53

Also the smarties comparison is a bit ridiculous as the two things aren't remotely comparable.

OP posts:
Justgorgeous · 05/04/2020 07:57

Daily exercise with immediate members of your family is not taking a BBQ and picnic chairs to a park and sitting there all day. What you are doing is fine.

Doryhunky · 05/04/2020 07:58

And Gove can stop dictating how long we can exercise. He said: "I would have thought for most people a walk of up to an hour, a run of 30 minutes or a cycle ride of between that, depending on their level of fitness, is appropriate.”

redcarbluecar · 05/04/2020 08:04

I can’t stand all the spying, snitching and references to ‘twats’, ‘dickheads’ etc. Most people are just trying to get fresh air and exercise - one of the very few things we can still do. This situation is making us turn on one another in a way I find a bit sinister sometimes.

As for sneering at people who used to be ‘couch potatoes’ and are suddenly going for walks, well I think it’s just possible that they (i) used to go to work and socialise with friends, and didn’t make time for exercise then and (ii) are thinking about their health a little more acutely than they were.

Enjoy your walks Op 😀