Leaving your "local area"

[Whathappenedtothelego]

I live in a Tier 3 area. We are right on the edge of it, 10 mins walking distance to Tier 2.

The big outdoor park (national trust type) we normally go to is Tier 2. 15 minute drive away. You have to book an entry time.

I saw on the local news that police are stopping people at the border to ask them where they are going, and presumably browbeat them into turning round.

Has anyone else been stopped by police?

What do they mean by "leaving your local area?" To me, this IS my local area, and I want to support local businesses.

Does your local area mean just walking distance? Or the whole of Tier 3?

I want to meet up out of doors in this park with a friend who lives in Tier 2 - which is allowed under Tier 3 rules.

But obviously I don't want to get into an altercation with the police!

Would having an entry ticket to the park count as a reasonable reason to "cross the border?"

@mrshonda nothing here on the N Yorks border.

It's only advice not to leave your area
But that advice is to help bring rates down
So the more people justify to themselves the advice doesn't apply to them the longer the rates will take to go down or will go up
People always think it's not their reason that spreads the virus

It's not illegal just advised not to travel between tiers.

So the more people justify to themselves the advice doesn't apply to them the longer the rates will take to go down or will go up
If people who live in Tier 3 travel by car to go for a socially distanced walk outside with other members of their household, what possible difference does it make to the spread of the virus whether they are in Tier 2 or Tier 3 for their walk?

@LilyPond2

So the more people justify to themselves the advice doesn't apply to them the longer the rates will take to go down or will go up If people who live in Tier 3 travel by car to go for a socially distanced walk outside with other members of their household, what possible difference does it make to the spread of the virus whether they are in Tier 2 or Tier 3 for their walk?

None whatsoever. Want to avoid spreading the virus? Avoid contact with other people. Use plastic bags over your hand to open gates and touch stiles if walk unavoidably includes them. Hand sanitizer in rucksack. Don’t stop off for a meal in a cafe or pub, or go in local shops - take everything you need with you.

Well, I don't think I am going to bother, I'll just stay in walking distance to home.

But this is my local area to me. It's a place close to my home that I visit regularly, feel part of, like to support the local economy.

I never travel the other way - i.e. further into Tier 3 in the normal way of things - more hassle to get to, lots of traffic.

I wasn't planning on doing anything that wouldn't be allowed in Tier 3, just going for a walk outside in pleasant surroundings that (due to health issues) are a bit more accessible.

I am horrified that we’re allowing the police to intimidate people like this. And bemused by all the people who think Covid knows where the tier boundaries are.

Meeting a friend for a walk is a completely reasonable (and legal) reason to drive somewhere 15 minutes away. Well, you can drive 6 hours to meet a friend if you like, that’s also legal although less reasonable.

My friend lives a couple of miles away and we’re going to meet up for a walk. So, should we meet in tier 2 where the covid rates are higher, or my bit of tier 3 where they are currently lower? Or should I meet another friend who lives 50 miles away at the other side of my county in an area with hugely high covid rates, would that be safer since she’s in the same tier?

Good post @JellyBabiesSaveLives. When it comes to the stuff that is guidance rather than law, people need to apply common sense. Ditto with activities that are legal but risky. A person who lives in Tier 2, works in close proximity to other people and goes for a "substantial meal" indoors in a pub is manifestly at greater risk of spreading/catching Covid than a Tier 3 resident who drives into Tier 2 to go for a walk. But I get the impression some Mners would be far more bothered by the walk in the park scenario because it's not compliant with the guidance.

North Yorkshire police are patrolling their border roads with ANPR and stopping drivers from outside the area. Legally they can't force people to turn around, but they can make things awkward.

I'm really perplexed as to how we've got to a stage where we're all apparently ok with the police intimidating people who are not breaking any laws.

Moot point as we're both tier 3 now, (albeit with lower and declining rates than when we were tier 2 ) but the DCs' swimming lesson is over a county boundary which went into tier 3 a couple of weeks before the lockdown. I continued to go as normal.

The police would have a tough time dealing with everyone on that dual carriageway, and a lot of people have their lives intertwined between both sides of the county boundary and generally can't remember which side of it that various neighbourhoods are

If my local police were doing this it would make me go and if they stopped me I'd challenge them on why they were wasting police time in a non-legal issue.

Seriously we need to challenge these sorts of intimidation tactics!