AIBU to think they should just ban going to the parks in London?

[ForbiddenFromNaples]

The difinitive park going experience in London is very different than that of the rest of the country. We've all seen those pictures of people crammed together sunbathing in Hyde park.

I dont have a garden so this issue is a big deal to me. Where I live (a fairly big city in the SW), there are numerous parks scattered about and its perfectly possible to go there, chill out and read a book as you catch the sun, all the time maintaining social distancing.

When it comes to the police, they seem most of the time to be pretty sensible about it...... Mostly. Except one or two people have told me horror stories.......

Someone I know who took their autistic child to play football in a park (so officially that should have counted as excersise), then the police turned up and moved them on (which was unnecessarily distressing for the autistic). Im not trying to bad mouth the police here, this is new so theres a lot of all round apprehension in regards to precisely what is allowed. Im just saying, when it comes to the issue of going to the park, the government should have a rethink as to whether everyone else in the country has to have their rights curtailed, simply because of how things are in London. And it would be nice to hear the government admit a one size fits all solution isnt always going to work.

I really believe this is a health issue, both physically and mentally. I bet divorce rates will spike after this, police are already seeing more domestic violence, substance abuse will rocket (ive seen loads of drunk people on trips shopping, so I bet theres even more people getting wasted at home), its not unreasonable to assume people will end up self harming and it could even lead to suicides.

Just to clarify, Im talking about people going to the park ON THEIR OWN. Im not talking about going down the park with their friends to have a picnic.

When the Government said, 'we're all in this together', for the first time ever, it felt true. But now the suns came out, it sort of feels that the poor are getting stung by these restrictions way more than those fortunate enough to afford property with gardens.

Dancing in a club is exercise.
Playing rugby is exercise.
Using the park equipment is exercise
Swimming is exercise.

It's not really about whether something is "exercise" but whether it's actually within the guidelines/rules. Otherwise it just becomes an exercise in risk and now many people you're going to take down with you.

Short term "suffering" for long term gain.

Thanks @SoupDragon. You explained it far better than I did

I love the way on MN we are staring to see what are outings being called 'exercise' because people don't want to follow the rules.

Your post doesn't make sense and I've read it three times.

Me thinks your out to wind people up.

Please stop.

@SoupDragon we are doing none of those.
We are running around (OK, I am walking) in a park where we are avoiding the few other people.
How is this not an allowed form of exercise?
I'll remember to get some blinkers for the DCs so they can't look at anything and to staple their hands in their pockets so they can't point to anything they spot when I ask them to find something yellow. How dare they enjoy their exercise! Down with that sort of thing!

I love the way on MN we are staring to see what are outings being called 'exercise' because people don't want to follow the rules
This.^^

I'm also loving how many items can be branded essentials too so they justify a separate trip to the shop for treats because 'who says what's essential? Maybe we just have to disagree on what essential is? Maybe the magazine is essential for me but not for you?'

I'm also loving the selfish peoples logic:
A) if you say a trip specifically because you fancy chocolate is an unnecessary trip someone will claim you're saying nobody should buy anything nice at all in your food shop

B) If you point out people are searching for loopholes to justify driving to nice places/ sunbathing in the park/ having picnics and family outings / going to play in the park then you're obviously suggesting that nobody should every go outside, like, ever and families of 28 should live in a 1 bedroom flat for months and never see Coronavirus fighting sunlight.

I actually hate this whole suffering because of London's increased population stance. The majority of this country has actually been at a benefit because of it.

Numbers of cases soared in lockdown so the rest of the country was put on lockdown largely due to their numbers. The majority have been better protected from this because of what happened in london.

I dont think anyone should be taking picnics out, doing easter egg hunts in public spaces. Yes its shit, yes it's incredibly difficult but we're being ask to only go out for 1 hour exercise and then stay home for a reason.

I would like to see all parks stay open with more monitoring of the usage of these places. To lockdown parks in any city and keep others open would create justified unrest and imho would encourage city hopping which is exactly what we dont want right now.

We've gone into this together and I would like to see us come through and out the other side together. Not putting one set of people at a detriment because of their postcode.

Soared in london*

we're being ask to only go out for 1 hour exercise
There is no one hour limit.

Apologies, our local council had advised for up to an hour a day but this must not been uk wide and when I've read it again it does appear to be a suggestion rather than a firm rule.

I've read further down and actually it is pretty solid throughout the text. Up to 1 hour.

@ForbiddenFromNaples the government should have a rethink as to whether everyone else in the country has to have their rights curtailed, simply because of how things are in London

So you're saying it's not fair that everyone's right to exercise be curtailed because of a few bad apples...so let's curtail everyone in London's right because of a few bad apples. Ummm

Hang on; so you're saying children being encouraged to run to take exercise, during their one outing, by spotting stuff or chasing a ball, is risky? We're not out any longer than otherwise. We are not touching anything or going within 2m of anyone. We are not sitting down picnicking. Can you explain what we are doing wrong? Without encouragement and play, young children do.not.run.for.an.hour. And they need to- more than adults do.

Am I reading this right?

You want London parks closed, so the poor have no greenspace to enjoy, just so you can sit with a book or do whatever you please in (what I presume is) Bristol, in contravention of lockdown provisions?

Yeek. That'll go down well with the punters.

I'm very clear with my kids. Beyond their feet on the ground they do not touch anything and neither do we. A walk/bike ride for an hour for my 3 year old a run or bike ride for my 8 year old is pretty straight forward.

Sunbathing, easter egg hunts, picnics etc etc is not imo within the remit of excercise.

Mine don't pick anything up or (other people permitting) go too near them either. We can still do scavenger hunts, fly a kite, and we could kick a ball around if we chose the right park at the right moment (though neither of them were that keen). We fed the ducks today but the Easter egg hunt was at home.
Like I say, I'm pretty sure several people on this thread don't actually know what a scavenger hunt is. It's not the same as either a treasure hunt or an Easter egg hunt, to give you a clue.

I think there's often a perception from non-Londoners that the capital lacks green spaces. The last place I lived in London was Zone 2/3 borderlands, and I had access to more green space within walking distance there than I do now I live in a mid sized city a long way from London!

i think there's often a perception from non-Londoners that the capital lacks green spaces so true. Live in zone 3/4 and have 6 parks and a common within a 10min drive from me.

Do you really think its reasonable to expect families without gardens to be crammed together 24/7?

No-one's saying that's reasonable. But if the arseholes who can't stick to the rules carry on doing so, that's what will happen.

Being crammed together is surely better than ending up in hospital or dying.

No-one's saying that's reasonable. But if the arseholes who can't stick to the rules carry on doing so, that's what will happen.

I'm honestly seeing very little evidence of people breaking the rules. I'm out the house a lot at the moment (doing food deliveries 3 days per week so driving a lot, plus dog walking) and I'm seeing very little evidence of rule breaking.

This is worth a read
Www.redpepper.org.uk/the-politics-of-covid-19-busy-parks-and-public-blame/

i think there's often a perception from non-Londoners that the capital lacks green spaces

I think a lot of non-Londoners just think of London as Zone 1. I’m Zone 4/5 and have a smallish park 5 minutes walk away, a big one 20 minutes walk away. I go out around 6am & have all the space I need.

Why dont you just get a shotgun and shoot all the naughty people.

I don’t understand your point about London parks

London is also full of smaller neighbourhood parks. People are observing social distancing. Ours was closed down one weekend after ‘complaints’ but there was not one single photo that showed people ignoring the rules.

There are a few idiots who have climbed over the fence to use the shut off facilities, but those are the idiots that if the parks are closed will invite people round indoors instead, or whatever. Idiots will find many ways to Idiot unless we declare a real policed lockdown as in Spain.

And it isn’t people sitting in the grass miles from anyone that is a risk to me when I walk in the park, it is joggers and cyclists not observing the 2m distance whilst breathing hard.

drspouse

My comments were directed at the PP who said they did an Easter egg hunt outside in local woodland though not you...

I cannot see any benefit at all in shutting down parks in London or anywhere else. There is very little evidence that people aren't being sensible. Yes, there are one or two photos of people standing quite close together but I'm sure they are in the minority. In the majority of photos which report "crowds" people look quite far apart to me .The impression the media gives of people not social distancing is really not doing us any favours. Deaths are increasing because lockdown didn't happen soon enough. It's nothing to do with people having picnics in parks so people should stop being such suckers and lay the blame the rise in deaths where it should be. I.e. government policy.