While driving to exercise might be unwise it is not prohibited by emergency legislation--new guidance for police.

[BreathlessCommotion]

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/30/uk-police-guidelines-coronavirus-lockdown-enforcement-powers-following-criticism-lord-sumption?

@princessconsuela at the moment, no, not really. In principle, yes, of course I would be worried if there were heaps of incidents with police over-stepping in a major way but that isn't the case. They're just trying to get people to stay at home. It's not easy and you can't legislate for every single situation - I want the people in power to be working on procurement of ventilators, supporting local authorities, pressuring DWP and HMRC to do what needs to be done to support those in need, not spending weeks wrangling over ridiculously detailed legislation. We don't have time for that.

Is it something we should all keep a watchful eye on? Sure. But I think the protestations about entirely reasonable requests are a bit much, to say the least. We surely don't always need to be told exactly what to do and can exercise common sense? We're in a pretty decent place compared to many when our biggest frustration is not being able to drive to the beach.

@Popsandevie I just wonder how comfortable people would be facing paramedics, docs and nurses if they ended go in ambulance or hospital with a broken leg from a walk or minor injuries from a car accident. Good luck explaining your frustrations about restricted access to beauty spots or open spaces to frontline medical staff.

I just know I'd feel like a massive dickhead.

Is it something we should all keep a watchful eye on? Sure.

I'll take that. Fair enough . Probably the best course of action, especially when trying to maintain a balance.

However I do think than in order to keep an eye on things we need to be able question things (not flaunt the rules mind) and talk/debate about it. Hear various perspectives and interpretations. It kinda bugs me that anything that isn't the party line (corona virus related,not political party) gets shut down as selfish, snowflakey, pathetic etc.

@bettybeans Sorry, not sure if in my frustration my sarcasm was lost or if I am missing yours. I agree completely with your original post.

I have to admit it is alarming to see that when given an inch the police try to grab a mile (and try to grab it very quickly😳)

The police don't try and grab anything, they do are they have been instructed to do, its their job. They don't make the laws they make people abide by them.

Totally @princessconsuela but I think that works both ways. People get grief on both sides of the fence no matter what their position is. I'm trying not to read too much into that - everyone's frustrated I guess, and few people have exactly the same circumstances or identical reasons for their frustration. We're all just feeling our way in some seriously weird circumstances. It's not like anyone really knows exactly how to do this the 'right way'. Most are doing their best I think.

Oh no I totally got that @Popsandevie! :)
Tone is difficult just now. Eep.

@bettybeans Glad there is no harm, sorry again :D

I live in a village. Which is rather busy now because so many people are shopping locally. I haven’t left the house for 2 weeks already because I’m medically vulnerable.

My partner is working from home in highly stressful job organising response to this crisis. He stares at a screen for 11 hours a day and is often on big conference calls. And panicking he’ll somehow infect me. We can’t touch each other.

I make him get out with the dog for an hour a day to keep him sane. Last time he walked through the village he met over 10 people, not all of whom moved to the side far enough for him to stay 2m away. So now he drives. Never more than 10 mins, but it gets him to footpaths and fields at the edge of our village that he knows well and where he can walk without seeing another soul.

If any overzealous policeman tries to stop him I’ll very happily defend him in an online court case and claim that his drive is a reasonable excuse to leave the house.

That’s bollocks @changename5000

Where in the law does it say we can’t drive to exercise www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/350/regulation/6/made

I’ll save you time- it doesn’t. It doesn’t even specify once a day or local - though in majority of cases you’d have to have some sort of special circumstance for multiple trips or far away to be counted as “reasonable excuse”

The crap that comes out of Johnson’s mouth is not the law. The legislation as copied above is the law, and it’s that that the police should be enforcing.

And @bettybeans, whilst you are going against spirit of mumsnet by arguing reasonably 😂 I do think police are going too far. I know of at least 2 densely populated cities where they have, or have tried to, close car parks (multiple) of the green spaces on the edge of the city. Not because there has been overcrowding and congregating at them as yet, but because there might be.

We are going to be doing this for a while- if we kettle city centre inhabitants within the city centres the only space they have for exercise will be far more congested than the large green spaces on the outskirts. Their drive out to them is the same distance/time as my drive into the city to a supermarket and so carries the same level of accident risk- and nobody is saying I have to do all my shopping in the village corner shop because I might have an accident going to get food.

nobody is saying I have to do all my shopping in the village corner shop because I might have an accident going to get food.

Yet

I saw the same woman on tv as on a local fb page.
On one she was a 81 year old survivor on the other, completely different story she'd died and was 82.
I'm not sure whether to send condolences or congratulations.
250,000 people died from flu in the UK despite vaccination being available. Where was the lockdown and social distancing.
Wake up ffs.

@bettybeans you’ve said what I was aiming for far better than I can, thank you.

I’ll reiterate as I obviously wasn’t clear- public footpaths (unless now closed) are fine. The ones that are closed are due to people not listening to the guidelines to stop this virus spreading. Blame them.

Walking/running/exercising dogs over privately owned land has never been ok, and it certainly isn’t now.

It’d be nice if I was a farmer. Sadly I work in a shop. Which is having problems getting stock. Because our local suppliers are struggling.

Please, stay at or near home.

It doesn’t say you can’t drive but is it an essential trip. If you can walk from your house why would you drive. We have people drive up our lane and park to walk dogs. Totally unnecessary since we live in a very small rural town. Even if you live right bang in the centre of town you are no more than 5 mins from the countryside. It’s just that they’ve always done it and don’t see why they should change. These aren’t essential trips.

I do apologise to those who are being sensible within the guidelines. You are not who I’m frustrated with.

But if people don’t listen to the guidelines we’ll have to have a stricter lockdown and more police powers - which is surely what we all want to avoid.

@MrsMcGarry

Non essential journey

@OtterPotter yes, but people need to go into shops. They don’t NEED to go for a walk. They might want to. They might need to get out of the house for mh reasons. But why travel to do it?

As for farmers having hand sanitiser, it’s been a bit hard to buy lately, or so I’ve heard.

@MrsMcGarry that has been happening where I live too and mostly because at weekend a whole heap of people turned up like it was a bank holiday. If they can't park, they won't go, I guess. I think the point is that they can't say "don't go out at all, nobody exercise" because that's not a healthy message at all, but I don't think they really want us going off on long walks either. For every person that might do it for sensible reasons you've probably got several more who do it just because it's more fun than walking round the block.

Is is essential? No. That's the basics.

Find me where it says “essential trip” in the legislation @willdoitinaminute

And he’ll drive for 5 mins rather than walk because it means he will encounter fewer people.

The purpose of the legislation is not to make us all do what the police say. It’s to stop the virus spreading. A 5 min drive plus zero contacts is far better for that than a walk from front door and multiple contacts on narrow pavements (and if he steps off pavement he walks into a still fairly busy road with bends and so increasing likelihood of an ambulance being needed)

I drive a short distance to the edge of my village to walk my dog

I will continue to do this until the law says I cannot,which may or may not happen.

I am certainly not listening to the Police or our idiot of a local councillor,both of whom are saying we cannot drive,I will see them in Court.

@MrsMcGarry You are so confident in your view, why do you bother arguing? Just do what you want.

Given this lockdown may well last 3 months I think fun is essential (if what you want to do is stop people dying)

If we clampdown for the sake of clamping down (rather than clampdown on things that stop spread of virus) then we will see a whole raft of mental health issues causing deaths . We are already seeing a spike in admissions to a&e with MH problems. And calls to MH support services have skyrocketed. Outdoor exercise in green spaces is one of best ways there is to calm anxiety disorders in people. Educate and encourage people to do that in ways that don’t spread the virus and we’ll see fewer suicides and no more virus related deaths.

I’m not arguing. I’m trying to make people engage their brains and think about what we are actually trying to do here. Because I care about getting our communities through this shit (and not just because if I get it I’m screwed)

I imagine they'll have considered all of that as part of the plans. They know people won't do it forever, but they do need us to try and do it for a reasonable period of time for it to have any meaningful impact. It's been a week. There's probably not one of us that wouldn't benefit enormously from a good long walk in the country, but we can't just all go and do it or the lockdown is pointless.