To think seeing family in their garden is safer?

[VodkaCranberry2]

So we can see one member of another household outside 2m apart... surrounded by other strangers 2m apart where we don’t know where they’ve been/who they’ve seen, but we can’t social distance in our family’s garden where we know they’ve been isolating/only going to the shops? Is this not ridiculous?

@wintertime6, but that would be common sense!

Well I'm going to use my common sense to see my DM in her garden, more than 2 metres apart. I can manage not to use her toilet like I've already done a couple of times during lockdown when I took her some shopping and stayed a few minutes for a chat.

My bladder doesn't know whether I'm in the park or someone's garden.

@shinynewapple2020 but I can’t if I take the rules literally- there will be two people from my household (me and my son). They have clearly said one person from each household so I can either leave him at home (don’t think social services would look kindly on that) or walk with him myself but meet no one else.

@GrimmsFairytales oh good I’m sure my son will understand why he can’t be picked up out the pram when he is crying (not that that is 2m anyway). Least you made me chuckle after a tough day.

How on earth will you stop them running to each other or staying 2m apart in class.

You won’t. And the government have said as much in their guidance for education settings:
We know that, unlike older children and adults, early years and primary age children cannot be expected to remain 2 metres apart from each other and staff.

I understood it the guidelines. Some may not make complete sense but I am aware of the limitations of my own cognitive abilities when it comes to epidemiology so I would rather trust the science that make up my own which far too many people seem to be doing

They've just said on BBC1 that grandparents could collect a child and see them outside the house. So you could see your mum on your own, your child could see her on their own, but you can't both see her at once despite being outside and social distancing.

That's just absolutely stupid. Not you, i mean that rule.

@Guylan yes unfortunately recently single parent here so wouldn’t work.

Such a stupid rule and it’s obviously going to be broken and abused or just misunderstood entirely.

The police are no longer going to be able to enforce anything. People are allowed to sunbathe or picnic ‘with their own household’ but there’s nothing stopping them telling police they all live together. It’s just pathetic really.

For those going on about using toilets if people use gardens. What do you think happens in the work place. People touch stuff others do, use the same toilet. You could have multiple employees using one toilet. None of the rules make sense.

I'm not going to risk the park to meet people. I'm going to carry on telephoning and video calling people. I do however have to start going into my office which I share with a friend but going to keep 2m apart at all times, hand-wash and take my drinks in so not making each other drinks.

I think sitting in a garden is safer than the park though but understand some people would just end up having larger gatherings in the garden. I know some wouldn't.

My garden is now officially called "Eggy Park" , it's small but we can still achieve 2m separation.

I’m going to meet my friend this weekend to sit 2m apart on separate picnic rugs in the countryside away from other people. We will take our own cake and fizz and have a chat for an hour. I can’t wait... after spending 8 weeks with 2 children I need the adult conversation.

We won’t use a garden as the risk of breaking rules (nipping in for the toilet, sharing utensils etc) is greater.

That's just absolutely stupid. Not you, i mean that rule.

It's bonkers isn't it. You can see very single person in a household in a single day, just not at the same time.

every not very

The garden question came up today on the bbc news when the 50 page blueprint was released. They had someone talking through all the changes listed on the document, can’t remember his name. He was asked specifically about meeting someone in a back or front garden and it was definite no. It has to be in a public place. It was also clarified again on a different news channel this evening. Has to be public place, 2 metres apart and no more than two people in a group if they don’t live together.

Also mentioned here

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51506729

It's bonkers isn't it. You can see very single person in a household in a single day, just not at the same time.

Speed dating family reunions!

He was asked specifically about meeting someone in a back or front garden and it was definite no. It has to be in a public place

Because public is so much safer. I can’t roll my eyes enough at the sheer ineptitude of the Government.

So what's wrong with a front garden in that case? The majority are hardly private.

And what happens when we're sitting in the back garden and our neighbour is sitting in hers and we're talking over the fence?

@magentastardust yes. Also we can sit in a park or at the beach 2m away from families we don’t know but not families that we do know. So if I went down to the beach with DS and my sister and nieces turned up (as we live a 10 min walk from the beach and she lives practically on the same beach) would we have to leave? Would she have to leave? Would we have to ignore each other and pretend we don’t know each other? 😂🙈🤯

Holy crap. We are all going to die 😂😂😂

so i cant see my niece because shes only 5 and needs an adult with her with supervision i dont live close enough to just pick her up

there was no point in this they might aswell stuck to the exercise when you want rule and thats it

FFS

Do you not see this has to start somewhere?

It's not about keeping us from our loved ones, it's about the prevention of overloading our stretched NHS.

There is no ideal way to relax lockdown, the world has not seen this before therefore it's trail and error.

If we all take responsibility, it'll help.

@DanceItOut, I am so sorry to hear that, it sounds v tough.

trial ffs

"I am aware of the limitations of my own cognitive abilities when it comes to epidemiology so I would rather trust the science that make up my own"

This is not science, it is politics. You do not need to be an epidemiologist to see that meeting someone in a garden is less risky than in a crowded public place, and that meeting one person in the morning then another in the afternoon from the same family makes zero sense in terms of risk reduction. I despair at people willing to abdicate common sense and suspend their critical faculties in order to blindly trust our provably incompetent, shambolic excuse for a government.