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Official Police Guidance on reasonable reasons to be away from your home during 'lockdown'. England only.

82 replies

NevilleGoddard · 15/04/2020 13:43

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/What-constitutes-a-reasonable-excuse.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiH6u3sturoAhWhmFwKHWaSCUcQFjAAegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw2TGvBnKDHW7_Xf1DzKgYnT" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/COVID-19/Documents/What-constitutes-a-reasonable-excuse.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiH6u3sturoAhWhmFwKHWaSCUcQFjAAegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw2TGvBnKDHW7_Xf1DzKgYnT

Interesting reading.

Newspaper/pint of milk/loaf of bread as single items - 'likely reasonable'.

Buying non-essentials/luxuries with other shopping - same.

Picking up food from a friend - same.

Leaving home to go to another house for a few days because of arguments in household-same

Buying just non-essentials/luxuries if already out of the house for good reason - same.

Resting or stopping to eat on a long walk - same.

Travel to exercise - same. And confirms travel to exercise is not unlawful.

OP posts:
Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 16/04/2020 14:37

A bit of really sensible common sense policing.
I congratulate the person/team who put this together.

Love this bit.
driving somewhere to exercise is acceptable as long as far more time is spent walking than driving

FliesandPies · 16/04/2020 14:37

I think they're still right to keep them blocked off.

Why? I just don't understand this thinking. The parks are jam-packed and have been since beginning of lockdown, woodlands and beaches are huge areas for people to spread out in so the risk is lower. Isn't that what lockdown is about?

ifonly4 · 16/04/2020 14:39

Very interesting. Many are going to argue, that sitting in a park with a snack is reasonable as they've had a long walk to get there (obviously everyone's interpretation of a long walk is different though).

ShootsFruitAndLeaves · 16/04/2020 14:39

Wow, this is fairly sane and not the murder-people-for-sunbathing shit that loons have been coming out with.

One thing I'm not sure about:

Not likely to be reasonable
"Visiting a vet’s surgery in person to renew a prescription (where this could be done over the phone)."

Reason: "visiting a vet’s surgery where a call would suffice would not be reasonable"

The legislation says

"to obtain basic necessities, including food and medical supplies for those in the same household (including any pets or animals in the household) including from any business listed in Part 3 of Schedule 2;"

and

"to seek medical assistance, including to access any of the services referred to in paragraph 37 or 38 of Schedule 2;"

The legislation says in respect of work

"to travel for the purposes of work or to provide voluntary or charitable services, where it is not reasonably possible for that person to work, or to provide those services, from the place where they are living;"

So we DO have a duty to work from home where possible. But that's the only case where we are REQUIRED to avoid doing something out of the home that could be done without leaving home. For example, if I can get food delivered from Amazon, I am not REQUIRED to get food delivered by Amazon and am at liberty to go the supermarket instead.

There doesn't therefore seem to be any grounds under which the police can argue that not renewing a prescription by phone is illegal.

Of course we should TRY to avoid the unnecessary trip, but that's not the point of this narrow discussion about whether it is ILLEGAL.

I would note that there have been people losing their shit about people, say, surfing. If you live close to the beach there doesn't seem to be anything remotely illegal about surfing.....

donquixotedelamancha · 16/04/2020 14:44

It's only a picnic if the food is in a wicker basket with a flask and there's boiled eggs. Clarified.

Also requires lashings and lashings of ginger beer.

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 16/04/2020 14:49

The problem with this, is though reasonable people will apply common sense to it and not rush out for a picnic or go to family for a long weekend, the piss takers will see it as permission to take the family out for a picnic or to go and stay with a mate for a few days and their parents for a few days.

Loving the people trying to justify how them sitting down to eat their packed lunch whilst on a long walk is in no way the same as a family eating their picnic lunch whilst out for the day exercising at the park.

FliesandPies · 16/04/2020 14:49

donquixote Grin

And sticky buns too!

donquixotedelamancha · 16/04/2020 14:53

And sticky buns too!

Jolly good show.

FliesandPies · 16/04/2020 14:54

Tell you what hooves, i'll make really horrible sandwiches when I go out (can you still get fish paste?) so I won't enjoy them at all. Will that make you happier?

Hearhoovesthinkzebras · 16/04/2020 15:00

You can mock all you like but don't be surprised if while you're celebrating that this allows you to go for long walks with your picnic sandwich, others are celebrating that they can go out to the beach with their picnics, in their thousands like they did a few weeks ago.

LolaSmiles · 16/04/2020 15:08

Why? I just don't understand this thinking. The parks are jam-packed and have been since beginning of lockdown, woodlands and beaches are huge areas for people to spread out in so the risk is lower. Isn't that what lockdown is about?
Because blocking off popular places stops everyone flocking to them.

These are places that are heaving every day in the school holidays, car parks full, parking on verges etc. With schools off and people at home why would they be any quieter now if open?

Somebodysringingabell · 16/04/2020 15:53

Oh i'm so sorry HearHooves. It must be awful for you to realise you can't keep telling people not to do what you don't want them to.

pocketem · 16/04/2020 16:05

Leaving home to go to another house for a few days because of arguments in household

Only for a short period (minutes or hours) the guidance says

Not sure that would be long enough to cool down if the domestic argument was that bad that I had to get out of the house

Dougt · 16/04/2020 16:05

Thanks for sharing this OP. It makes a lot of sense.

Haffiana · 16/04/2020 16:57

The problem with this, is though reasonable people will apply common sense to it and not rush out for a picnic or go to family for a long weekend, the piss takers will see it as permission to take the family out for a picnic or to go and stay with a mate for a few days and their parents for a few days.

Lol at the usual suspects on this thread trilling away yet again about how Naughty Wicked Other People Will Do It All Wrong And Must Be Stopped.

Stop dealing with your own fears by trying to control others.

Somebodysringingabell · 16/04/2020 17:07

@pocketem

You need to read again. It says days.

LolaSmiles · 16/04/2020 18:15

Haffiana
I like the clarity the police document shows. It's what many of us have been saying all along (eg. Get whatever treats you like when you're doing your shopping, but don't be popping out as and you fancy a beer).

I'm still in favour of blocking car parks at popular sites because it prevents large groups of people gathering, which is surely the point of lockdown.

Ultimately what MN has shown me is that it doesn't matter what the guidance or law says, some people will always find a way to argue that they're exempt from the rules or try to twist things to suit.
Then again that's not a Coronavirus issue; it's a selfish people issue. There are people who think they're special so can park on the zigzags outside school as long as they're quick, who think they should be able to have a full refund for items without receipts and then get shirty with shop staff, who don't bother to clean their dog poo up because it's just a little bit etc.

Laniakea · 16/04/2020 18:24

That’s really helpful Neville thank you 😊 ... so encouraging to see sanity from the police & the majority of posters!

Twattergy · 16/04/2020 19:36

@FliesandPies

Why? I just don't understand this thinking. The parks are jam-packed and have been since beginning of lockdown, woodlands and beaches are huge areas for people to spread out in so the risk is lower. Isn't that what lockdown is about?

Yes lockdown is all about going outside to huge areas and spreading out to reduce risk...Hmm
Not staying at home...

Binglebong · 16/04/2020 19:45

It's on the bbc website now.

In light of this I drove to my local woods (14 minutes door to door!Grin). I did see a lot more people than usual but all at a very good distance - the closest was at least 100 metres so outside the limit! But when I parked there were no other cars, when I left there were 5 or 6. In that time it had gone on the website.

I'm planning to do this about once a week so my dog can get a decent run. Parks etc are just too busy round here and he's already getting out of condition.

FliesandPies · 16/04/2020 20:19

Because blocking off popular places stops everyone flocking to them

And forces them to all go to parks causing overcrowding and irritation there. Far better to go somewhere you can put more space between you and others and is good for your health!

JustGettingStarted · 16/04/2020 20:44

They've blocked the car park for Crompton Moor, but I live in the neighbourhood and can not only walk to it, I know the alternate paths to access it. The back way up the hill means encountering few people.

I'm going to be studying ordinance survey maps and figuring out the similar paths from the nearby villages. I won't be parking up at the well-known point where the Penine Way crosses the motorway!

LolaSmiles · 16/04/2020 22:40

And forces them to all go to parks causing overcrowding and irritation there. Far better to go somewhere you can put more space between you and others and is good for your health!

There's several towns in my area and loads of villages. All have park, cycle paths, and a range of green space.

All are within half an hour driving distances to popular places. If the popular place car parks are blocked off then people stay close to home and use local spaces. If the popular place car parks are open then instead of having everyone using their local area you get all the idiots from all the towns and villages descending on the popular place, dumping cars on verges, clogging up local villages, just nipping into village shops for extra food etc on the way back, or sitting along the wall/on the benches at the sea front and suddenly it becomes exactly like any other nice day at those places.

For the walking areas, most of those people will only walk the same popular, reasonably accessible footpaths that get regularly congested on a nice day. Many of them will be having a family stroll without appropriate shoes for walking in the hills. Most stop for picnics at the same places because they've very nice scenic spots.

Opening those car parks wouldn't promote social distancing at all, so I've no issue at all with those car parks being blocked off.

FliesandPies · 16/04/2020 23:48

That isn't my experience of the way people use the woods and beaches in my area. They have lots of space and people are able to spread out and do their thing without impinging on others.

My city does not have a 'range' of green space, it has pitifully few green spaces for the size of population and since lockdown these have been overcrowded.

twinkletoesimnot · 16/04/2020 23:55

Talk about muddying the water .... Are not enough rural people catching it or something? (Cynical maybe)
All those people who need to drive to walk the dog - do they usually do it every day?
It's just going to mean people flocking to the countryside.
Walking footpaths that we (farmers) wish could be closed as they go right through our garden / place of work - and we can't stop working.
I'm really sad that people thought this was ok (for example 80 people in a day using a footpath that usually gets used a dozen times a year)
And now they have every reason to do it.

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