Letting children play on street in the north west.

[Notenoughchocolateomg]

My neighbour/friend is still allowing her 2 children to play out on our quiet street, but since the government has implemented stricter rules for areas in north west I have told my children they now cannot play with friends on the street, but must play in our back garden without friends obvs. She thinks I'm being over the top, I think I'm simply sticking to the new rules. I'd only just last week allowed my children to play on our street.

Technically, your neighbour is correct. You can still meet up to six others from no more than two households in public spaces - with social distancing.

It's part of the madness of the new rules. In a front garden, its illegal, but a foot further away from the house, on the pavement, it's fine. Bonkers, really.

However, if you look at the intent of the lockdown, then you are correct.

You don’t actually state if you live in one of the areas that has had the rules changed. Lots of the north west isn’t included.

My area is included I just don't want to be specific.

Have the new rules actually said children can't play outside?

Not that I have read anywhere or heard. But I thought well if they can't play in our front gardens together why can they play on the bit of land that is just in front of our gardens together.

So you're not sticking to the rules, but if that is what you're comfortable with then do it. It's not up to your neighbour to decide if you're being over the top.

I thought it was indoor hospitality that was banned

It's social contact between separate households that is banned.

They say the data shows that this is a problematic area for transmission at the moment. When in the confines of own house/garden, it's much more difficult not to get too close to others, to cross contaminate, or for people to invite too many others.

Technically, small groups are stillallowed to meet in public in the named areas, as long as there is distance between different households. The crucial point is that separate households were always supposed to distance physically, wherever they met. The idea is that it's easier or more likely in public.

If kids playing means close contact, then it's not allowed. They can walk together in the street, remaining at least 2m apart, but I dont know how many kids will follow that.

Many terraced houses dont have front or back gardens. May have a back yard. So playing out on the street with other kids is going to be very difficult. As this is not a lockdown, I fail to see how anybody could police kids playing in the street.

This is the trouble with these restrictions. Written up by someone that has never set foot in a northern area.