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To clarify the one hour of exercise 'rule'

426 replies

Itstheprinciple · 14/04/2020 12:19

I've seen this mentioned on so many posts and I've seen people clarify it within the post but I've not seen a specific post about it. I thought this could help people who seem confused about what is 'allowed'.

Michael Gove was asked on the Andrew Marr show what he considered to be reasonable exercise. This is his response:

"I would have thought that for most people, a walk of up to an hour, or a run of 30 minutes or a cycle ride of between that, depending on their level of fitness is appropriate."

So it is not a hard and fast rule or law. No one is standing with a stopwatch as it gets to 59 mins. It's guidance and it will vary between individuals as Mr Gove says himself.

OP posts:
Willow2017 · 15/04/2020 19:18

So, if the law doesn't limit how many times you can go out, even if the guidelines do, you'll abide by the law.

And again The guidelines do not state there is a limit on how many times you can go out. Stop making things up as you go along.

LilacTree1 · 15/04/2020 19:24

Hear “ It shouldn't be that some can go out twice a day for two hours and others get nothing.”

Sorry if I missed it

Who gets nothing?

peppermintcapsules · 15/04/2020 19:31

It shouldn't be that I'm not rich and some are. Dammit! It's not fair!

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 15/04/2020 19:39

And again The guidelines do not state there is a limit on how many times you can go out. Stop making things up as you go along.

Hmm. I think you should have another read

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 15/04/2020 19:42

Who gets nothing?

The people who can't go out because their area is just too busy. There was a thread earlier about cyclists and runners overtaking walkers and how if there isn't a wide path or pavement there isn't enough room to maintain two metres distance. Some posters were saying elderly or less mobile relatives weren't going out because they couldn't get out of the way quick enough

Mrsfrumble · 15/04/2020 19:43

We’re in zone 2 in London and managing to get out when it’s quiet. You just have to pick your moments. DH gets up at 5.30 to go for a long walk, usually up to Walthamstow Marshes. He gets home at 8 to start work (from home) by 9. He says it pretty deserted, just a handful of runners. I take the children out after their supper until their bedtime (usually around now, but we’re having a night off). We stay local, but the streets are quiet enough that we have no trouble keeping our distance from other pedestrians.

Obviously it would be nice to be in the countryside and be able to walk for hours in the middle of the day without seeing another soul, but it’s exaggerating to make out that Londoners have to choose between being permanently confined to our flats or taking our chances among the teeming masses.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 15/04/2020 19:47

@Willow2017

www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do#when-am-i-allowed-to-leave-the-house

When am I allowed to leave the house?

You should only leave the house for very limited purposes:

shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible

one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle - alone or with members of your household

any medical need, including to donate blood, avoid or escape risk of injury or harm, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person

travelling for work purposes, but only where you cannot work from home

Willow2017 · 15/04/2020 19:47

Hmm. I think you should have another read

The laws in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland do not specify - or limit - how many times per day someone can leave their house for any of these reasons.
Just read it again and its still the same...

LilacTree1 · 15/04/2020 19:49

Hear oh I see.

Round here, people just accept that there’s not room in certain spots.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 15/04/2020 19:50

Willow2017

Yes, you've quoted what the law says.

I said, and you quoted me, what the guidelines say and I've shown them above.

They clearly say one form of exercise a day.

Butchyrestingface · 15/04/2020 19:55

It shouldn't be that I'm not rich and some are. Dammit! It's not fair!

COVID-19 is certainly revealing the big fecking, dummy-spitting babies that walk amongst us unawares. Grin

chomalungma · 15/04/2020 20:11

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras

It doesn't define a reasonable excuse and health reasons are a justifiable reason for travel anyway

It gives a list of what a reasonable excuse includes.

There may be other reasonable excuses available - but I don't think going to a 2nd home is a reasonable excuse, even if it's not on the list.

Restrictions on movement

6.—(1) During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a reasonable excuse includes the need—

(a)to obtain basic necessities, including food and medical supplies for those in the same household (including any pets or animals in the household) or for vulnerable persons and supplies for the essential upkeep, maintenance and functioning of the household, or the household of a vulnerable person, or to obtain money, including from any business listed in Part 3 of Schedule 2;

(b)to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;

(c)to seek medical assistance, including to access any of the services referred to in paragraph 37 or 38 of Schedule 2;

(d)to provide care or assistance, including relevant personal care within the meaning of paragraph 7(3B) of Schedule 4 to the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006(1), to a vulnerable person, or to provide emergency assistance;

(e)to donate blood;

(f)to travel for the purposes of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is not reasonably possible for that person to work, or to provide those services, from the place where they are living;

(g)to attend a funeral of—

(i)a member of the person’s household,

(ii)a close family member, or

(iii)if no-one within sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) are attending, a friend;

(h)to fulfil a legal obligation, including attending court or satisfying bail conditions, or to participate in legal proceedings;

(i)to access critical public services, including—

(i)childcare or educational facilities (where these are still available to a child in relation to whom that person is the parent, or has parental responsibility for, or care of the child);

(ii)social services;

(iii)services provided by the Department of Work and Pensions;

(iv)services provided to victims (such as victims of crime);

(j)in relation to children who do not live in the same household as their parents, or one of their parents, to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children, and for the purposes of this paragraph, “parent” includes a person who is not a parent of the child, but who has parental responsibility for, or who has care of, the child;

(k)in the case of a minister of religion or worship leader, to go to their place of worship;

(l)to move house where reasonably necessary;

(m)to avoid injury or illness or to escape a risk of harm.

So I can't really see going to a 2nd house is reasonable excuse - even if it is for 'health reasons'.

Where as going for exercise is fine.

jasjas1973 · 15/04/2020 20:30

Some posters were saying elderly or less mobile relatives weren't going out because they couldn't get out of the way quick enough

Surely they are the very people who shouldn't be out at all? especially the elderly.
Saving their lives is why ours are being turned upside down, so i think the very least they can do is self isolate and not think they can wander about as normal.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 15/04/2020 20:33

So I can't really see going to a 2nd house is reasonable excuse - even if it is for 'health reasons'.

It very clearly states to move house where reasonably necessary.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 15/04/2020 20:35

Surely they are the very people who shouldn't be out at all? especially the elderly.

Elderly people aren't shielded. How are they meant to get shopping? You can't get a delivery for love nor money here, and who are supermarkets expecting to serve in their "elderly and vulnerable" hours?

Plus, didn't you know, you can't catch it from being outdoors and exercising so why shouldn't they be able to go for a walk, as long as they can maintain social distancing?

isabellerossignol · 15/04/2020 20:43

It very clearly states to move house where reasonably necessary.

So if you feel you want to move to a rural area for your health, then why not take action to do that?

LilacTree1 · 15/04/2020 20:48

Jas “ Surely they are the very people who shouldn't be out at all? especially the elderly.
Saving their lives is why ours are being turned upside down, so i think the very least they can do is self isolate and not think they can wander about as normal.”

That’s the line the government take

But many elderly don’t agree with it and don’t want this part of their life ruined by lockdown.

chomalungma · 15/04/2020 20:53

It very clearly states to move house where reasonably necessary

What do you think move house means?

LilacTree1 · 15/04/2020 20:56

So basically I need to

  1. win the lottery
  2. buy two houses
  3. get myself declared as a worship leader so I can nominate one of the houses as cult HQ.
Willow2017 · 15/04/2020 20:57

It very clearly states to move house where reasonably necessary.
Yeah because moving house and going for a jolly are exactly the same thing!
You are scraping the bottom of the barrel now.

Willow2017 · 15/04/2020 21:00

They clearly say one form of exercise a day.

And if you read the full guidelines there are exceptions to this.

Mascotte · 15/04/2020 21:17

Read the LAW people.

jasjas1973 · 15/04/2020 21:21

Elderly people aren't shielded. How are they meant to get shopping? You can't get a delivery for love nor money here, and who are supermarkets expecting to serve in their "elderly and vulnerable" hours?

If the elderly and vulnerable still go to the Supermarket and then out to the park, then quite frankly, then we may as well end lockdown right now.

It is for them children have had their education screwed over, Students wont get to graduate, 2nd and 3rd year AHP are going back into hospital, again messing up their degrees. Millions stuck inside, the economy plunged into a 1930s style depression.... BUT its all fucking fine and dandy for 79 yo Aunt Mabel/Uncle John, with his high BP and Angina to go to Tesco or out for walk... in other words do exactly the same as they did pre lockdown.
They get their shopping via the 1m who volunteered, relatives or neighbours to do it for them.

ChristmasCarcass · 15/04/2020 21:23

I should be able to call for a harsher lockdown that might benefit those currently not able to get out, without worrying about you or anyone else

A harsher lockdown will just delay herd immunity, and keep shielded people locked up for longer. What would be best for shielded people would be everyone else going out as normal and catching it all at once, while the shielded people stay safe at home until this all blows over.

Of course the NHS wouldn’t cope with that number of deaths, so the government won’t do it. But if shielded people want this over and done with quickly, that’s what you want to encourage.

Shielding is also voluntary - if you want to go out, you can. Nobody will arrest you. You are choosing not to because you are high risk, but that is up to you.

LolaSmiles · 15/04/2020 23:00

It very clearly states to move house where reasonably necessary
Yes, MOVE house, not go on a jolly to your holiday home.

Even then many people are finding their chains are frozen because people understandably can't get removal companies in, solicitors are closed and so on.

It really is a case of ignore guidance because "it's not the law" and then when it comes to the law start trying to twist it to fit whatever actions people want to do. I wish folks would just own the fact that they think they don't have to follow the law because they more unique and special than everyone else.