Is this breaking 'the rules'?

[stella139]

If my friends and I were to go to a park and have a picnic, all spaced out 2m apart, is this within the guidelines?
I don't understand why Boris has said that you're allowed to meet one person outside of your household while socially distancing but you do this with dozens of strangers while in a supermarket/park etc?
What's the difference between being 2m away from a friend or 2m away from a stranger?

For anyone getting personally offended, this was hypothetical...I haven't seen anyone outside of my household during lockdown, so you don't need to call the hotline on me just yet

I see it that if eight of you decided to get together for a socially distanced picnic, that's an awful lot of space taken up in a park.

Then another group decide on the same thing, the people that are actually following the rules are pushed out because there's no space left.

It's about using common sense and thinking of the wider community and not just yourselves.

It is different. We interact differently with strangers than with friends and family.

People behaving as you describe are not distancing. They are in close contact and they are sharing food and drink.

OP you’ve asked the question and answered it in your opening post. Are you after validation or something?

@CuppaZa just wondering what other people make of being allowed to lie on a beach for example with strangers around but not if these same people were your friends

Also on interacting differently etc and getting too close, I completely get why this makes sense, but if you and 2 friends were to be very stringent about upholding a distance, why would this differ to strangers?

The rationale is that you are likely to stay 2m away from strangers but will tend to move towards people who you know. It's "normal" not to encroach on a stranger's space whereas you have to consciously make an effort not to move closer to someone you know and are speaking too.
So, yes, you're right it makes no difference if you are all very stringent, but the "rule" is working on the principle that most people will not be very stringent all the time.

Just look at all the VE Day celebrations that started out beautifully socially distanced and ended up with everyone very close to each other.

I think by meet they mean something like visiting or sitting at the same cafe table.

If you manage to stay at 2 m from each other, then it's not really meeting.

'Also on interacting differently etc and getting too close, I completely get why this makes sense, but if you and 2 friends were to be very stringent about upholding a distance, why would this differ to strangers?'

It wouldn't be any different. I would imagine the logic behind it is to try to deter the majority of people from breaking the rules and starting to visit friends and family too soon. Yes, many people will be able to grasp staying 2m away from a friend/family member, but lots of people won't. Young kids in particular who just want to give their grandparents a hug for example. Also, people selectively hear what they want to. If it's announced you can meet up with 'family members if you stay 2m apart' lots of people will just listen to the first part of that sentence!

Most people are more lax about hygiene, sharing drinks etc with family members, somehow thinking they're less likely to catch something from someone they're related to.

I just think that these guidelines are there to set a tone more than anything. We all know that they don't make a lot of practical sense, but it reinforces the message that we need to be on our guard and not think that we can all just meet up as we like.

I agree with others that we should use our own common sense, which I think most people do. My circumstances mean that I can't meet up with anyone, but if I could I would just meet up with a couple of people, 2 metres apart and outside.

To all of the people who criticise others for not following the rules, just remember that there is not a huge consensus across the world on the details. Different countries have played it differently to each other, with one main exception: keep 2 metres apart. If you do that I don't see a problem.

Yes, you are likely to keep to the distance with strangers, much less likely with friends and family, even without realising it.

If you sit 2m from strangers, you won’t look in their direction or talk to them much. Remember talking is a really good way to get viral particles into the air. You also won’t pass things between you.
Meeting a group of friends at 2m distance will have a totally different dynamic and therefore risk profile. It feels unreasonable, but it isn’t if you start to think about it.

Again common sense though. Of course don’t share food, cups etc. Have your own picnic with your own food and cutlery and sit 2m away. Low risk.

If you want to do it then do it.

It isn't unsafe and it gives all the enforcers something else to moan about you. I wish I could say that if they are moaning about you they are leaving someone else alone but I very much doubt that is true - unfortunately.

@stella139

I don't understand why Boris has said that you're allowed to meet one person outside of your household while socially distancing

So you DO understand that he did in fact say it. Therfore, it would seem to go against your opening point about a group of friends. So, no, that obviously would not be allowed...

You know it is.

We’ve very clearly been told we can meet 1 person from another household outside.

The fact you see people in a supermarket is really not relevant. The rule is 1 person

You know it’s 1 person you’ve even put it in your Opening post, so why the dumb act of am I breaking the rule??

From the government’s faq document...

Can I meet more than 1 member of another household while observing social distancing?
No. You can only meet one other person from outside your household in an open, public space while obeying strict social distancing. You will be breaking the law if you meet with more than one person from outside your household.

It’s pretty clear. I don’t understand why people don’t get this.

They say one person as people are less likely to stay socially distanced if meeting in a group. It's not really that difficult or unclear to understand.

To be fair, you know full well that you would be breaking the rules!

I also think the rules are based on the fact that the government know full well that people will stretch the rules. And once they’ve stretched the rules once and it was ok, they’ll stretch the rules a little bit further and a bit further and so on.

So I guess it’s up to You to do your own risk assessment on how far you’re willing to stretch the rules. Yes, the risk of meeting up with more than on friend in the park is low but how much space will you take up? Will other people be able to use he space or get past you? Will there be alcohol involved as that will make you lose your inhibitions and maybe get closer? Will you be prepared to leave if you’re asks to move on by the police or park workers? Will there be children who want to play together?

If the answer is that you’d meet 2 friends for an hour or so for a chat and you could stay 2m apart then why not?

If there’d be 5 friends all with 2 children and a picnic lunch with a glass of wine, then no, it obviously wouldn’t work and would cause a nuisance to others.

I met my mum the other day. I had my Daughter (age 1) with me, and I didn’t want my mum to break the rules so I left my daughter in the car and chatted to my mum. Then I got my daughter out, put her in her buggy and wheeled her 2m from my mum and went and hid in the car myself while my mum chatted to her.

Ok, I didn’t. We just walked 2m apart, all of us. Weird that my daughter and I weren’t breaking any rules but technically my mum was?!