I'm in Essex and mostly people around me are baffled , the general consensus is people will ignore it because they don't see it as valid because it's being touted for for people that have about as much respect from the community as Donald Trump.
Mind you I'm in one of the areas likely to exempt themselves. It would be economic suicide for this area and would be accepted if it was needed but this is taking the proverbial. The cases do seem to be increasing, the DC school had a positive case yesterday and other schools are being hit but we are nowhere near needing this. People simply cannot afford preventative measures that restrict earning. We are hardly a rich area as it is.
Dp was mildly concerned on the grounds if our area exempts themselves (which is very likely to happen) he still has to drive through the rest of Essex to work , if they start being difficult about what is essential travel this will cause a massive problem. He would probably have to move to his dm. (Although frankly she is in Wales so maybe the same problem at some point).
To be honest the general view seems to be that given the local community safety , police and PCso are literally incapable of even preventing people glue sniffing in public , they probably aren't going to have a lot of luck with a mass refusal to adhere to rules that are not required by the governments standard.