Customers in supermarket queues buying 2 items

[justasking111]

After a week of emptying cupboards reluctantly went out this morning. Standing in Tesco queue, two over 70s ladies behind me. one had given the other a lift. What do you need the driver said, oh just some cheese and a newspaper. They were not switched on by social distancing either despite the clear marks on the pavement.

Now I do think if you are over 70 and determined to get out well on your head be it. But for two items, for christs sake.

AIBU I being unreasonable to think that if you go to a supermarket it is to seriously stock up not for 2 items?

I think you should only go out in desperate need if someone is not educated enough or doesn’t understand how serious is covid then be it people only learn the hard way once it hits home they will understand !

What about all the over 60s still working then? Funny how nobody is concerned about them.

Still people out working over 70 too.

I don't think anyone's noticed the fact that they gave each other a lift? So they weren't abiding by social distancing, unless they happen to be living in the same household.

MIL's sister and her next-door neighbour have been working as one household since the start of this. They decided they'd be safer helping each other out even though that meant contact with each other than them both going shopping on their own - the neighbour would have to get the bus and MIL's sister wouldn't be able to carry as much from where she has to park her car. So it works out well for them. From what MIL says it's pretty common in the people she knows who are old enough to be isolating from the majority of people, but not in the shielding group so not getting food boxes or extra help to pair up.

As someone who is over 70 but people tend to think is younger, im not sure how you knew the age of these ladies.i know 60 year olds who look older than me.

Anyway what right have you to tell them what to do.you or any of the lockdown police who seem to be all over UK these days,and quite frankly are beginning to totally p...me off.Perhaps like me they live alone and are fed up with just seeing friends on video calls,talking on whats app etc and actually want real human company after 6 weeks.Im fed up with hearing people going on and on about we mustnt ease lockdown.We cant shut the country down indefinitely.When you get older and are still fit and active you want to enjoy life,when you still can.And sitting indoors by yourself with no actual human contact isnt enjoying life,Contrary to popular belief many over 70s have a decent social life with friends and a busy one.We would like to start living it again.

This was me earlier. No one batted an eyelid, the staff at the self checkouts were nice to me too.

I did a full shop over the weekend so really didn’t need any more food. However my period unexpectedly started (I’m on the Depo so haven’t had one in at least a year). I depleted my emergency stock of sanitary products and desperately needed more. I obviously wasn’t just going to use nothing and go without until I had a sufficient enough Sainsbury’s haul for you.

I walked into city today to M&S as i do twice a week,im over 70,very fit and active,bit im very petite and slim so i cant carry huge amounts of shopping..Normally i walk back but it was hot so i thought hell no ill get the bus,something i havent done since lockdown started.

I actually enjoyed doing something normal even had a chat on bus at a distance only 5 people on it.But i suppose the lockdown brigade who think all over 70s are vunerable decrepid idiots who cant think for themselves and should be locked in their homes.would have me arrested! Its my life and ill do what i damm well like.

Here everyone can go out when they need. In another European country you cannot leave the house without a written and dated declaration about where you are going and what your will do there. Always must have it with you in case police stops you. We are lucky is not that bad here lol

To all those people saying 'it's not the law that people have to stay at home, people can go out to buy whatever they want!'... 'I went to buy a paper, hope the 'lockdown police' don't arrest me'... firstly, it isn't legal to go out whenever you want, the current emergency laws state you are only allowed to go out once a day for one hour for exercise, work that CANNOT be conducted at home instead of a normal place of work (primarily Key Workers, but also some non-essential roles such as IT professionals facilitating others working from home who require local access to servers or stores, for example), and when required for "essential food shopping", a bottle of fizz and a pizza isn't essential, and although the police aren't currently enforcing this strictly, they could if they wanted to, they are within their rights to arrest ANYONE in breach of the Coronavirus Act 2020 as passed into law on 25 March 2020. As for the "lockdown police", they are easy to spot, they drive white cars with yellow & blue markings on the side and red & blue marking on the rear and have the word POLICE written on them in large letters, they only need reasonable suspicion that your actions are non-essential and causing an avoidable risk to others to fine or arrest you... and if you read the detail of the bill passed by parliament and the accompanying notes, the sentences courts can hand down for what would seem fairly minor things are quite scary!

As Greenmandm said, here we can go out whenever we need, but there is a BIG difference between WANT and NEED!

This MumisaMan
The emergency laws do NOT state that you are only allowed out for an hour. You just made that up.
The relevant part of legislation (SI 350/2020 Par 6.2.b) states that you are allowed to leave home"to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;".
There is no time limit mentioned.
Before citing legislation, at least take the trouble to read it.
www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/made

only allowed to go out once a day for one hour for exercise

That's only the case if you are in Wales.

In the rest of the UK you can only go out for one form of exercise. There is no actual limit to the time you can be out, and no limit to the number of times you can go out.

The one hour myth was Michael Gove's opinion on what he considered reasonable when he was asked the day after the legislation came out. However, like his opinion that children of split parents shouldn't go between houses it's not legislation.

You just made that up.

To be fair to the people who share the hour thing - it was Michael Gove that said that. He said it very loudly and the correction was not so loud.

Perhaps Michael Gove should have actually read the legislation that he voted for. No wonder I despair of this government.

-Perhaps Michael Gove should have actually read the legislation that he voted for. No wonder I despair of this government.

You’ll not get many arguments about that.

It’s just a bit unfair that anyone who watched the briefing interview with him the day after it came out gets labelled as stupid. The government is entirely to blame for the confusion over that one. If a senior government official comes out and clarifies a point of legislation then it’s understandable take their word for it.

@ThisMumisaMan

Tosh.

firstly, it isn't legal to go out whenever you want, the current emergency laws state you are only allowed to go out once a day for one hour for exercise, work that CANNOT be conducted at home instead of a normal place of work (primarily Key Workers, but also some non-essential roles such as IT professionals facilitating others working from home who require local access to servers or stores, for example), and when required for "essential food shopping", a bottle of fizz and a pizza isn't essential, and although the police aren't currently enforcing this strictly

Just about everything in that paragraph is total bollocks ThisMumisaMan

There are no limits on frequency, time or what is bought when out, certainly in England, where most of us are. I'm aware that there are subtle differences in Wales and poss Scotland and obviously other countries have different restrictions.

If you disagree, please post a link to actual legislation on an official website, which you won't be able to.

You merely need 'reasonable excuse' to leave your home, of which there are about 13 examples.

I've spent several hours outside the house on a few days a week and it's been entirely within the rules, eg

To go to the supermarket to buy whatever they sell eg bread, milk, salad etc plus alcohol, crisps and other thing that you think the shop shouldn't allow me to buy.

To take supplies to a shielding relatives house and walk their dog.

Plus go for walks in the woods and hills local to my house.

DP has also been going to work in a role that's not strictly necessary but he works outside and mostly alone and as he's not eligible for any furlough or other help due to being one of the many not covered by any of the schemes (combination of employed and self employed and didn’t quite meet the 'most of your income from self employment during the relevant tax years' test he kind of needs to earn some money somehow and obviously being able to socially distance means that the risk is virtually none existent

As long as I can socially distance and wash my hands after I've been out, the risk of catching the virus is so low it's not worth worrying about.

Can we now start a threat that finishes off this sentence, Perhaps Michael Gove should have .....

Tbh i dont really think its its any of your business...i wouldnt waste my headspace on it...maybe its a break from utter isolation and loneliness for them.

the current emergency laws state you are only allowed to go out once a day for one hour for exercise

ThisMumisaMan
No it doesn't there is no 'one hour' anywhere.
Plus there are now exceptions to the once a day rule.

The police have been told by thier own Chief Constable not to 'police peoples shopping' so there is little chance of them arresting me for buying wine with my pint of milk.

If you are going to be throwing legislation at people at least make sure you know the facts of what you are quoting first.

I agree OP. The fact that they ignored social distancing too, clearly shows they don't give a toss and make up their own rules.

@JFM27 - good for you! You go gal! All these lemon sucking people on here need to wake up to the unalterable fact that, God willing, they too will be over 70 one day. For their sakes, I hope the new younger generation have more empathy and respect for them than they do for us oldies.

I’m not quite 70, although my husband is 73. I’m 69 later this year - and hold on to your principles you ‘orrible lot! I’m STILL working as a senior theatre sister in a major teaching hospital. So, should the world be the same next year, do you propose that I lock myself away in my house or should I continue to provide the highly specialised clinical service I have been doing for the last forty or so years?

One of my colleagues who is a colorectal surgeon specialises in rare cancers and receives referrals from all over the country and he is 72. Oh my word! How dare he venture out of his door to save a few lives with his skill and expertise! Call the Corona police immediately and arrest that man!

None of you know why somebody is at a supermarket. Personally, I don’t go near the places because they are overpriced and sell mainly crap. We are fortunate to have good local independent small shops and I have always shopped in them. You can’t beat a good butcher who knows what he’s talking about instead of prepacked coloured rubbish in the supermarkets and as for supermarket bread? My god, even my dogs would turn their noses up at bleached, over processed pap.

I honestly think that most of you doing your best pouty faces at other people need to get on with your own lives, stop making unnecessary comments on what you ‘think’ somebody is doing, What you have ‘overheard’ someone say, how old somebody is or why they are out.

Now, as this is my one day off this week, my husband, my three dogs and myself are about to set out for our walk over the woods and fields where we live. We’ll be out for about four or so hours and we might even pick up a newspaper on the way home. So, as we old ‘uns say, stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

Some people might only have the money left that week to get only what they need. I have been doing online shopping but also shopping local for fresh stuff so I pop to the local co-op after the butcher and grocers and only picking up maybe 1 item. The government guidelines for over 70 are just that guidelines. If they feel safe and well enough to go out them so be it. Up to them.

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;

I think the fact you need a reasonable excuse and only basic necessities is being interpreted differently.
The legislation was clearly meant to stop people nipping out for whatever they fancy ie not basic. It’s not fair on retail staff that they gave more contact than needed.
Still it’s pretty much over now I guess.

Basic necessities = food. Cheese = food.

They should never have used the word 'basic' as that gave the shopping stasi the excuse to complain about people buying things that they don't agree with.