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AIBU?

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Original poster

Crowds in the parks yesterday

409 replies

Mrgrinch · 31/03/2021 10:42

I've been seeing pictures and videos of the amount of people gathering in the sun yesterday and I am genuinely shocked.

Has nobody learned anything in the past year?
Do they want to continue going in and out of lockdown forever?

I really do understand the people who just want their freedom back, I want mine too. But the pictures of Hyde park yesterday look like something from a music festival. Not to mention the mess left behind this morning.

Should I just shut up because transmission is low outdoors? Or is this a sign that warm weather means people ignore all the rules?

OP posts:
ShaunaTheSheep · 31/03/2021 14:44

What a load of hysterical nonsense!!

@Mrgrinch moaning about Hyde Park but you didn’t even know which city it is in. If you’re going to moan about people LEGALLY going about their business at least try and get your facts straight instead of regurgitating the daily fail.

I am told by someone who was actually there that the press did their usual camera angle trick to make it look more crowded than it was. Groups of six or households (plenty of student households are in excess of six) were sitting separately. All perfectly LEGAL.

TakemedowntoPotatoCity · 31/03/2021 14:45

Like many others on this thread, I'm over it. No, I don't mean flout the rules, not wear masks, follow gov advice etc but the amount of people who are acting in such a draconian way now is not right. People are sitting in a fucking park feeling happy for the first time in months. I have some extremely militant and judgey 'friends' on my fb who are seriously pissing me off with this.

Frequentflier · 31/03/2021 14:48

I have changed my mind on this over the last month. Lots of new reports saying outdoor transmission is very low. I think people should have their small joys given the year we have all had. Am in London and was in a v crowded park yesterday, but I just put on a mask if I felt too close to someone.

Paquerette · 31/03/2021 14:49

@ChocOrange1

Has nobody learned anything in the past year? We learnt that there is next to no transmission outdoors and no outbreaks linked to the beaches last summer.
That was the original variant though. The new Kent variant has 70% increased transmissibility, and caused the 2nd wave in November. It's also the Kent variant that is causing the 3rd wave in Europe and about to put many countries into lockdown.
XenoBitch · 31/03/2021 14:49

YABU
The press love to take photos at an angle that makes it all look like a granny murdering convention. I went to a beach last year and my mum took a similar photo with her phone. Looked rammed! But if you sent a drone up and looked down... everyone was miles apart from eachother.
And just what are they doing wrong anyway? It is not a planned mass gathering.. it is a lot of different groups of people all following the law that just happened to be in the same park.
Stop gobbling up this gutter press nonsense and get angry about something that really matters... not people enjoying the nice weather.

beginningoftheend · 31/03/2021 14:49

The litter looks bad but is really not the main issue, I am not able to judge whether this would lead to higher transmission but if it were to, the costs and impact of that are more of a problem.

ShaunaTheSheep · 31/03/2021 14:50

@RumJerrySailorRum the Hyde Park / Woodhouse Moor photos are definitely genuine photos from yesterday btw.

I have to agree about the litter - if you can carry your full picnic/drinks to the park, or beach, you can carry the empties out again.

UrAWizHarry · 31/03/2021 14:50

"Has nobody learned anything in the past year?"

We've learnt that transmission rates outside without extended contact are miniscule.

Frequentflier · 31/03/2021 14:50

@Paquerette Is that right? I admit to not reading much about the variants because it would just drive me nuts. I still think that people need some joy now.

Ohnomoreno · 31/03/2021 14:50

Yeah whatever OP. Make sure everyone has no life.

beginningoftheend · 31/03/2021 14:50

The press love to take photos at an angle that makes it all look like a granny murdering convention Agree this can happen but the aerial video was pretty clear on this occasion in Leeds I thought.

ChocOrange1 · 31/03/2021 14:51

That was the original variant though. The new Kent variant has 70% increased transmissibility, and caused the 2nd wave in November. It's also the Kent variant that is causing the 3rd wave in Europe and about to put many countries into lockdown.
170% of zero is still zero. 50% of adults are vaccinated.

pumpkinpie01 · 31/03/2021 14:52

My student dd19 was at Hyde Park in Leeds yesterday she said it was heaving, she had a great day and I'm glad she went. Her course has been a total joke this year and her mental health has taken a massive battering. If she can sit in the park with her housemates having a laugh then good for her.

MrsWhites · 31/03/2021 14:52

No I’m sorry but I’ve had enough, for the vast majority of us who have followed the rules, why shouldn’t we enjoy a bit of freedom within the rules whilst the sun is shining and the kids are off school.

It’s perfectly possible to visit an outdoor area and social distance even when it’s busy if it’s a big enough park. I know I’ll get blasted for this but if kids can sit in an enclosed class room with 29 other children, they sure as hell can enjoy a bit of a run around in a park on a sunny day!

The litter on the other hand - no excuse for that. Enjoy yourself but pick up your crap afterwards - selfish pricks!

ShaunaTheSheep · 31/03/2021 14:53

Covid raged through the Leeds student population in the autumn term, so I would imagine immunity levels are pretty high. Students have had such an awful year, bottom of the heap, blamed for everything, and some people begrudge them an afternoon in the sunshine. I despair Sad

UrAWizHarry · 31/03/2021 14:54

[quote Frequentflier]@Paquerette Is that right? I admit to not reading much about the variants because it would just drive me nuts. I still think that people need some joy now.[/quote]
The virus can't mutate a way to defy the laws of physics and not be subject to airflows outdoors, so no, it's not true. Outdoors -regardless of variant - you are not going to catch the virus unless you spend a significant length of time in close proximity with an infected person - like 15 minutes of face-to-face contact.

TheKeatingFive · 31/03/2021 14:55

The new Kent variant has 70% increased transmissibility

I thought they downgraded that to 30% more?

Anyway, all the ‘third waves’ have been stronger associated with indoor transmission. I don’t think there’s any evidence that the Kent variant makes outdoor meet ups more problematic.

Frequentflier · 31/03/2021 14:56

Yes, that's what I thought. Agree kids and the young- everybody actually- needs some release or they will go mad!
Yes, they should pick up litter.

Etherealhedgehog · 31/03/2021 14:56

What makes you think rules were being broken? I'm sure by a small minority, as has always been the case, but in pictures I have seen the vast majority of people were in groups of six or less, and if you look past the misleading camera angles the distance between groups is generally fine. Tbh I think this rhetoric about rule-breaking when it comes to people outdoors on sunny days (as perpetuated by Matt Hancock with his tweet this morning) is incredibly counter-productive as it makes it seem as if groups meeting outside is as problematic as people socialising indoors, which is absolutely not the case. Worst case scenario, this kind of judgy attitude risks driving people indoors where they can't be seen and talked about by the curtain-twitching, judgemental types

LookAChicken · 31/03/2021 14:58

If there has been evidence on more outdoor transmission I've missed it. Confused

Benjispruce2 · 31/03/2021 15:00

Oh op! Honestly. People went outside in the sun as they were told they could. Many have had jabs and are being tested regularly through work.

Vargas · 31/03/2021 15:04

Perhaps what the OP is actually saying is 'someone is having more fun than me and I need to make them feel bad about it'.

I agree that littering is a disgrace, but my local council seem to make no provision for a lovely sunny day and do no extra litter pickups in the parks, so the bins are all overflowing, then the foxes and crows (and god forbid rats) arrive and it is chaos...

pumpkinpie01 · 31/03/2021 15:05

@ShaunaTheSheep you are spot on there ! My dd has not got any friends in Leeds who have not had it!

thefallthroughtheair · 31/03/2021 15:07

For goodness sake, the vulnerable have been vaccinated. Enough of this ridiculous hysteria. Anyone who remains terrified can stay at home and stop trying to ruin everyone else's lives.

ChnandlerBong · 31/03/2021 15:08

Litter in park near me was appalling this morning. Literally whole carrier bags of picnic debris just left in the middle of the grass (and then spread by birds picking at it) - was going to take the wardens hours to clear. People should obviously be taking their shit home - but some are too lazy and with nothing else to do this will just get worse....

but as for the crowds.... nah. am ok with that. everyone I saw was being pretty sensible. Anyone who's still genuinely worried can easily just stay at home and avoid people rather than trying to control everyone else?