Is it ok to meet friend and her kids for a outdoor picnic this week (half term) ?

[betterlucknexttimer]

What do you think? Obviously the kids will interact if we meet, as they are under 5 they won't social distance. Would be friends two kids and my two kids.

Try and pick people you don't really like very much. People who are expendable.

@Betty98 I think it would be hard not to want to go indoors to play toys or to go to the toilet etc at someone's house. I don't know!

I live in an area that has lots of green spaces so shouldn't be impossibly crowded to be outdoors even staying local. I did a local picnic just us last week and saw just two other groups in the area , there so we had about 200m between us !

It's against the rules. But apparently they are now only 'guidelines' and we should all just exercise our own judgement and, if necessary, invent some exceptional circumstances to justify it.

I've been diligent about following the rules until this week. Still being very careful and 'alert' but I have gone ahead and formed the two-household bubble that we're supposedly getting next month anyway with my best mate. Staying outside (garden not park), staying 2m apart so feel OK about safety.

And yes, I'm massively pissed off at the whole Cummings situation, in case you were wondering. :-)

I wouldn’t.

No.no way. Your children will be getting social contact soon enough in nursery. As you say they will not be able to play separately and you will find it stressful try to make them. If you miss your friend, see her on her own.

@LemonadeAndDaisyChains I'm not going to their house, we are talking about being outside

So?
The rules are that we're still not supposed to be meeting up as a group outside our houses.
Which your post suggests you would be.
It's one on one.
Not one on one and all bring the kids.

ThIs is only allowed at Barnard Castle as far as I am aware.

Ah ok, sounds like you’re in a less crowded part of the country than me. Maybe not an issue then.

Eventually you will need to take the step to let your children play with other children. It has to happen one day. Only you will know when that sits right with you. Did you post because you’re really torn about the subject? If so, perhaps you’re not ready. Or did you post because you were secretly hoping other mums would be equally as fed up and admit they’d do it? If so, perhaps you are indeed ready.

(Btw, I see the argument that if the government haven’t said it is safe to do so then perhaps we should listen to them as they know best... but it’s hard to trust that the government don’t lie and mislead us... anyone seen that magic £350m per week for the NHS yet a la Boris’s brexit bus? And let’s not mention the Cummings and Goings of other senior advisors.)

It is against guidelines.

Although you could probably exercise judgement if, say, you had poor eyesight and needed to go for a drive to check it.

I am torn, I don't want to feel the daggers when out, but I don't want to be the fun police either. I've seen others on group picnics or big extended family ones since we've been allowed to travel. And yes I've been jealous and maybe I've judged a bit too. I haven't seen anyone else or family and yes it's getting a bit lonely and boring for the kids. Hmmm ?

Well technically you’re meeting your friend. Your first child is meeting her first child. Ditto the second kids. So each person is meeting one person. Dominic Cummings would say it makes sense.

And let’s face it meeting 3 people from one household can’t be more risky than meeting 1 because if 1 has it they’ll all have it!

But I agree it goes against the spirit of the guidelines.

And I hold my hands up I played tennis with a friend today and as she’s a single parent her kids tagged along and sat on the sidelines and watched. I exercised my common sense and judgement and did a risk assessment and decided it was fine.

Well the rule about only meeting one person from another house hold is absurd. Going ahead will almost definitely not trigger a cluster of new cases in your area.

The ultimate fun police is the virus itself, it's draining the fun out of everything, and until there's a lot less of it about, I would stick to the current guidelines/rules/whatever. The virus doesn't give a shiny shit whether the government is being consistent or inconsistent, it will just take advantage of every opportunity to spread from one family to another, possibly silently if the infected person is asymptomatic.

IF there was a lot less virus about than there currently is (which is a lot less than before lockdown, but still a lot more than other countries that are relaxing restrictions) then it would be less risky to create a new non-essential family to family link that the virus might spread through. As it is I'd say it's still an unnecessary risk not worth taking, particularly if your respective kids will be getting some social contact next week anyway.

And let’s face it meeting 3 people from one household can’t be more risky than meeting 1 because if 1 has it they’ll all have it!

It can if the kids aren't staying 2m apart! The meeting 1 person thing is still supposed to be 2m apart.

When they say one other person I assume they mean one other adult - dc obviously need to come along. Same when supermarket says one persons Well we can all interpret the rules as we wish anyway it seems. I'm in Scotland and our rules from Friday are looking like individual households rather single people meeting anyway so maybe I'm going off that

Ah true, yes if the kids can’t stay 2m apart then probably not the best.

No

People have done the right thing for weeks , now very quickly observing the rules is breaking down and very fast.
I’m fearful of a second wave of this virus.

Do what you like.

Where will you go to the toilet ? Most public toilets are closed. And thats if you felt comfortable using them.

If you’re sending them back to school/pre school soon then I think you’re very out of order. They could take it into their school bubble and pass it other children and staff.

@Barryisland I won't need the toilet, prob be out max 3 hours. I've been doing my pelvic floor exercises! My DS has a bladder of steal or could use a tree and my other child is in nappies. But if I had to I'd use a bush lockdown or no lockdown. There aren't toilets in the countryside.

Fun police?? You don't want to be the fun police. That's a great excuse for allowing yourself and your child to break the rules that we've been set by our government, great example!

The kids can't social distance, you're meeting more than one person from another household, that's two breaches of the rules

I'm not saying I agree with the rules because I think a lot of them are stupid but that's not an excuse to ignore them because you don't want to be seen as the "fun police". Be responsible.

We've been good and followed all the rules. My brother and sister in law have been naughty, and met with friends and family from the start. Neither families have had coronavirus.