Is it ok to see family in the garden social distancing ?

[starrynight19]

Just that really if we stick to the 2m guidelines.

[minipie]

Yep we’ve gone into my parents’ garden a few times through the side gate and hung out at a distance. Can’t see the harm tbh especially given we’ve all barely been out in weeks so very limited chance of passing anything on. Cheers us all up a lot.

[bridgetreilly]

I live next door to my brother, and so we've been in contact at an appropriate distance throughout. Sometimes I go into their garden, sometimes they come into mine. The children know they aren't allowed to come close to me and have been very good about remembering. No unnecessary car journeys are required, social distancing rules are maintained, but it makes no difference to anything if sometimes we're on the same side of the fence.

[Mustbetimeforachange]

I got absolutely roasted suggesting something like this BEFORE the lockdown

[starrynight19]

Topea
Zzzz....

I don't mean to be cruel, but have you ever thought of thinking for yourself OP?

Britain is becoming dumb and dumber. Nobody seems to have an independent, common-sense thought in their head. So sad.

Thanks for that just the reply I was looking for

[Bol87]

My parents live a 10 minute walk away & I regularly walk a round trip past their house while out pram pushing trying to get my baby to sleep! I sit on their wall, they sit on their bench well over 2m apart & we chat and I hold up their newborn grandchild!

I personally see it as no different to our neighbours sitting and having quiz night! But then, they live so close I’m not making an unnecessary journey, just part of my daily walk!

[mammmamia]

We are doing this as well as part of our daily exercise. Parents and ILs live within 2 miles. It’s a great 4 mile ish round trip from our house to both theirs and back home again - stopping to chat for 15 mins in their driveways.
I think it’s reasonable, not an unnecessary journey as we are out exercising anyway. We are avoiding having tea / sharing snacks etc but they might for example give the DC an ice cream from the freezer that we can just throw the wrapper away on the way home etc. Always staying a few metres away from each other.
My parents have a huge garden with swings so we’ve been in there through the side gate a few times without touching it, the DC have had a run around and we’ve chatted to parents through the window. I think it’s good for everyone. And I agree with a PP that this is how our social lives will be once lockdown is relaxed a bit. Thank goodness we’re approaching summer not winter.

[secretllama]

Yep , my mum and sister have both been round to my house separately, and sat in my garden at least 2m away for a good hour to chat. Brought their own folding chairs. Only do this when they are dropping stuff off so not for the sake of it.

At the start of lockdown i wouldnt have done this but as it goes on I realised how daft the logic was. I can stand and speak to my neighbours in the drive at 2m distance which is safe, but not my relatives? As lockdown goes on people will make their own risk assessments.

[starrynight19]

Thankyou so much to everyone else for taking the time to reply.
My dad and gran are into their seventh week alone next week.

[pinkpinecone]

Yes and I've done this if you are in the garden and keeping the right distance it's fine. It's just about wing sensible and using common sense.

[Cantata]

Is anyone likely to catch anything if you do this, OP?

If not, I suggest you crack on and do it.

[pinkpinecone]

'Being' I meant to write not wing

[nerdgirl47]

Depends on the circumstances in my opinion. I have popped into friends and family within walking distance on my daily walks. When I say popped in I mean I have stayed for no longer than 5-10 minutes at a time, not touched anything, not gone inside the house and kept 2m away at all times. I don't think that's a risk and I haven't seen any friends or family that I'd have to travel to in the car.

I think this is different to sitting in someone's garden for the duration of an afternoon or an evening, drinking and touching loads of surfaces, probably having to go indoors to use the loo at least. Which I've seen a lot of people doing lately.

[ChipotleBlessing]

I think most people are doing this now, judging from our street. We do it occasionally on our walk. Also on our walk we stop and chat to people from a safe distance. If you’re out walking or delivering groceries there’s no way it breaks the rules. And TBH after six weeks, even if you have to drive I think it fits into caring for a vulnerable person.

[mammmamia]

I agree @secretllama
I didn’t feel right about it at the beginning of lockdown but it’s become more normal.
On our daily outings (usually cycling) we always bump into people we know and have a distanced chat. So it’s no different.

[Chloemol]

No

[Fuss]

We take mils shopping over and have a chat in the garden. Have done since the start. I think she’d have gone potty by now if we didn’t.

I need to take some shopping over to DS’s house this week, there are a couple of sentimental plants in his garden I need to dig out before the contractors start work on his new landscaping next week so chances are I’ll do that whilst there. He’s guaranteed to keep his distance though as anything involving gardening has him running for the hills.

[Canshopwillshop]

@toppea - actually that is quite mean. If you’ve been on MN recently you will have read that some posters believe you shouldn’t set foot outside the front door unless it’s an emergency and only go shopping once in a blue moon whereas as others have interpreted things differently and given themselves much more freedom. People are scared and worried in varying degrees and their behaviour reflects this. They want to do the right thing but sometimes the right thing isn’t that clear cut.

[TheTigerKing]

I'm planning on 'bumping into' a friend on a walk tomorrow - me and my ds have both had cv and we think she did too a week after us... we will stay two metres apart but want to see each other - she has not left the house in five weeks and we know we are all healthy. It's a mental health thing more than anything else.

[GiantKitten]

Considering how close randoms get to each other in the supermarket, a properly distanced visit to close relatives seems entirely reasonable to me.

But some people are entirely unreasonable about the way others organise their lockdown

[PickAChew]

Not officially, but you'd probably all feel better for it.

[duckme]

We're walking to my parents house every few days for our exercise. My nan lives with my parents and has dementia and her condition, sadly, seems to be deteriorating fast. I know there is a chance she'll forget us due to her dementia, and I'm not prepared for coronavirus to speed that process up. We stand at the bottom of my parents, ridiculously steep, drive and my parents and nan stand at the top and we yell at each other for about ten minutes. The visit from us and our children also helps lift the mood of my parents who, I believe, are really struggling with the speed in which things are changing with my Nan and her condition.
We're no closer than people who stand on their doorstep each Thursday night to clap.

[DrMadelineMaxwell]

I do this when dropping shopping off for my Mum and DH does it when dropping off his Mum's shopping too. Not at all close and staying outside.

The other day I put a chair in my garden and as a friend walked past she paused and sat for ten mins and I had a chat with her from my doorway at least 3m away.
Two local police people walked past on their patrol and I was prepared to apologise and my friend prepared to move on if they'd said anything, but they didn't and they walked on without batting an eyelid.

[Kahlua4me]

We have coffee with our elderly neighbour on his front garden most mornings. He is shielding so not going out to even walk his dog but is alone and feeling very lonely.

We take our own drinks and sit about 3 - 4 metres away and he sits by his front door. It has made such a difference to him which is lovely.

[AmelieTaylor]

For you own & your parents/friends sakes, if you're going to do this, you really need to stay more than 2m apart. It's not a safe distance for sustained conversation. It's also not a good idea to be using their cups etc (I know some aren't anyway).

The 2m rule (which is insufficient anyway) is for passing people, queueing etc, not for sustained conversation whether you know them or not.

Many scientist say it's not far enough even forvtgat, let alone for chatting.

Yes WHO says 1m, they're also the organisation that said it wasn't transmitted from human to human.

[Ragwort]

Yes I do, I visit my DPs once a week, they are late 80s, I stay in the garden. My DS sometimes comes with me & goes out for a walk with my Dad who has early dementia and finds the whole situation very difficult (& that gives my mum a break to when we can have a quiet chat together). I consider that comes under the ‘helping the vulnerable’ category.