Interrogation by bus driver

[OldQueen1969]

So, as I am unable to leave the house because my Mum is in her last days, my DP is stepping up and doing any shopping or errand running, which is probably more frequent than we woulld like but the needs of a terminally ill person are varied and unpredictable - we are trying as hard as we can to minimise trips out.

After four weeks of utter inactivity, my ebay shop for my closed bricks and mortar shop has sprung into life with several sales in the last few days. So today DP took the parcels out combining with a shopping trip and discovered that our nearest post office is closed on Wednesdays. So he got on a bus to get to the next nearest, and was asked by the bus driver if he was out legitimately for shopping. DP was unimpressed, a little abrasive and was told this is a new thing recently introduced. DP decided to get a taxi.

Our town is by no means a hot spot, with a total of 90 deaths and just over a thousand cases I believe = for context the population is a little over 600,000.

So is this a good thing, a bad thing? Too little too late? I'm just a bit surprised as I had to make multiple bus trips before Mum was released to our house from hospital for safeguarding reasons sanctioned by the GP etc and I was never questioned, I have seen groups of "social outdoor drinkers" unchallenged during those weeks and police that I have passed haven't given me a second glance. And no DP doesn't look like a thug.

I'm also concerned for the bus drivers - in our locale we have some colourful and somewhat volatile vulnerable groups who can be quite aggressive when challenged......

What a world we live in now eh?

Thinking further, how can one prove one's intent without some from of official documentation?

You can’t but generally people only kick off when asked a simple question if they know they aren’t out for a valid reason.

Posting parcels for your business - ie. your job - is an essential journey in my book. Shopping for food for specific dietary requirements is an essential journey.

People are still allowed to leave the house and travel for these reasons - so yanbu OP. And I say that as someone who has barely left the house for the past 5 weeks, except to walk the dogs, or deliver stuff to my mum who is on the vulnerable list.

generally people only kick off when asked a simple question if they know they aren’t out for a valid reason

This kind of thinking is just so chilling.

Its the whole 'If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear' fallacy

Everybody should defend their civil liberties with the utmost vigour.

The State may have taken some our liberties through legitimate, democratic process, but that doesn't mean we automatically should give up the few that we have remaining. If anything they should be defended even more strenuously.

The nativity of some MNers is just astounding sometimes.

Oh dear OP, what a difficult time.

I think a lot of people are feeling stressed and trying to take control the only way they know how by sanctioning other people despite not knowing their circumstances.

I don't think your DH did anything wrong.

You're facing a situation no one would envy and as you point out (and people might not understand) that the needs of someone near end of life can't always be planned for/predicted.

That's always going to necessitate a degree of flexibility wrt getting supplies above what might be ideal - but needs must.

Combing the trip to ship business goods on which income depends is also sensible and not reprehensible.

All I can do is wish you well at this time and hopefully reassure you and your DH that you've done nothing wrong.

*naivety

I really don't know what has got into some people - I agree with the lockdown, but there is no need for a load of people to act like the stasi, quizzing people on their journeys, curtain twitching their neighbours and so on.

I've seen the police being totally heavy handed on this too - I mean, sure, break up gatherings, but moving on someone sitting in the middle of the park? Unreasonable. Smashing down some bloke's door, who was alone in his flat? Unreasonable. Bus drivers quizzing passengers? Unreasonable.

Lockdown is working - the streets are empty. People are staying home. The lockdown stasi need to dial it down.