AIBU to think that people should legally be required to stick to a certain travel zone around their house?

[chomalungma]

It won't stop Covid.
But it will reduce the number of people from an infected area going to another area with lower infections.
Maybe say a 10 mile zone - unless you have a really good reason (such as it's the nearest food shop, hospital, GP - or caring for someone)

It should stop people going to pubs etc, shops from areas of high infection.

Our Tier 2 city has just gone to Tier 3. We had a lot of people from other cities come to our city over December.

I don't know how that would work in Greater London, as the boroughs all blend together and many people work in Central London or in other boroughs.

The only shop nearby that sold DD’s brand of infant formula (organic and anti reflux out of necessity, not choice) was in our nearest large town 9.2 miles away. Would have been fine for us, but people in the next village South of us would have been stuffed.

You’d need exceptions for things like that. And of course work/school.

The whole of Scotland is locked in tier 4 (apart from the islands) this is to prevent people just going to another area with a lower rate to access things shut down in their own tier.

It's how it was enforced during the first lockdown in Italy. Self-cert to carry with you for work and shopping. It only lasted about a month in all and then things were relaxed as regions got down to 0 new cases.

Then they relaxed too much and are fucked again now.

Not quite as fucked as England obvs.

We're in the top tier in Scotland, you aren't allowed to travel out with your council area. Apparently it is inforcable but the police haven't been stopping people yet. Its good in theory, however I live right on the border of my council area and 2 others, I can't travel 3 miles in one direction as its the next area, but can travel 15+ miles in the other direction as its still the same council area.

Really the whole aim is to stop the spread of the disease.

We have had people from Leeds and Newcastle come to our city because our restaurants and pubs were open.

Now we have a high Covid rate.

If they had to stay in their 'zone', then we would have had fewer people from infected cities coming here.

But if everyone has different 10 miles radius with everything open, they will be lots of random cross overs, especially in towns and city’s. I’m not sure how you don’t get what one saying...

We aren’t living in an episode of Black Mirror.

Speak for yourself

A good idea in theory but how would that be monitored? Electronically tag everyone?

Everyone gets fitted with a collar that gives you a nasty shock if you go 1/8th of an inch beyond 10 miles from your home. Then you get arrested and put into a gulag.

Respite carer I further than ten miles away too.

@TeacupDrama

I don't think it can be law as too difficult but I think 10 miles would be plenty for most things except work, school and medical appointments, 10 miles is plenty for exercise leisure outdoor walks with a friend and for most shopping, in some rural areas you might need to go further but you shouldn't drive 40 miles to Waitrose passing Asda Morrisons etc on the way. That said I'm not sure lockdown really works that well, it didn't really achieve that much longterm in Spain or France it's not working in Germany which had over 1200 deaths yesterday which is 3 times more than here. People need to be sensible but viruses just do what viruses do.

The only friends that live within 10 miles of me are shielding and not seeing anyone. I suppose we could meet somewhere twixt our homes, but that would mean a walk in a waterlogged field in most cases.

My support bubble household is nearly 30 miles away. I don't live in the middle of the highlands or anything either, I'm in the southeast.

Like earlier posters have said we've had these kind of restrictions in Ireland and they are enforced as much as possible. Travelling for work, essential shopping and medical or caring duties are permitted.

I don’t understand how this would be policed.

DP is a paramedic so he gets free reign to travel during work, right? What stops him from driving to wherever he likes whilst wearing his uniform, and pretending he’s travelling to work if the police ask? Likewise with any other profession - it’s open to misuse.

Particularly if someone is a carer looking after a family member, by law they’re allowed but they likely won’t have any documentation to prove their movements.

There will always be sensible reasons why people may need to travel a bit further.

Then there's this sort of thing:
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/29/police-in-brecon-beacons-turn-away-visitors-breaching-covid-restrictions

Other countries seem to be able to have done it.

I suppose it's English exceptionalism that means we can't do it?

I've a severely autistic teenager. His familiar outdoor places that he visits every week are more than 10 miles away.

Ireland has a much more spread out population and a lot more rural. You can’t compare the two...

People do realise that the best way to stop a disease spreading in the country is to reduce the number of opportunities for people from different areas to meet?

Other countries generally have much stricter measures in place though, eg masks are compulsory for everyone, no outdoor exercise etc. We have a lot of allowances in comparison that it would be difficult to police under the current guidance

@chomalungma

People do realise that the best way to stop a disease spreading in the country is to reduce the number of opportunities for people from different areas to meet?

You’re the one that wants to go to the pub! Some of us haven’t been anywhere social in months! Some people have been in a higher tier most of the year!

It's fourteen miles to dd's school in another County so there is no chance of me sticking to either a ten mile or County wide boundary.

I think if you are in tier 4 you should avoid lower tier areas (will be largely academic after this evening, anyway) except for transit, but I can't see the issue with going from one tier 4 are to another, or one tier 3 area to another.

10 miles would probably a reasonable circumference around your house and account for county and particularly district border areas - but as pp's have said, how would it be enforced without using police manpower to mount roadblocks.

You’re the one that wants to go to the pub! Some of us haven’t been anywhere social in months! Some people have been in a higher tier most of the year

I know. So stop people coming to an area from outside that area, get the R rate down, and allow that area to open up but just for people from that area.

Completely, utterly, unenforceable.