Two Women fined for walking for Starbucks

[Superketchup]

What rule have they broken? I don’t understand. Two of them met - yes can meet one other person - they’d driven 5 miles - surely that’s ok?! - and they had a Starbucks each which the police said was a picnic?!
Why are they keeping takeaways open if it’s agaisnt the law to get one? I took my kids to the park, the coffee shop was open for takeaway. It was freezing. We got a hot chocolate each. I’m too scared to do so again!

It's not hard. Stay in your house unless you have a reasonable excuse to leave. A starbucks with your mate is not a reasonable excuse.

That simple.

@Cattitudes

What if I have to drive to near their house for him to walk with his friend? Ds is only yr6 before people suggest he walks 3 miles to his friend's house or catch two busses.

So he's 11, but can't walk for an hour?

But surely ‘local’ depends on the context. For me (central-ish London) 5 miles is loads - I could be on the other side of the city and would have passed loads of other shops/ parks etc in the process. Clearly there’s no need to do that and it puts people at risk. At the other extreme the next house might be more than 5 miles away for others. Getting to the supermarket or nearest playground might easily be that far for lots of people. 🤷‍♀️

This was an abuse of power. The police have no legal powers to impose penalties on people who have not broken the law.

The officers concerned should be facing misconduct proceedings.

Why is it always Derbyshire? Reminds me of the old saying,

Derbyshire born, derbyshire bred.
Strong in the arm,
but thick in the head

! I mean really, this should be about science and clear laws and rational decisions. Where the F does "the spirit" come into it?!?

It's about understanding nuance, grey areas, and not taking the piss doing things which are unhelpful even if you are technically allowed to.
How are people so confused?

@ThatDamnKrampus

But meeting one other person (not in your household or bubble) is only supposed to be for exercise though isn't it? Amd driving for exercise; exercise must be longer than journey?

Is walking no longer exercise?

It takes a few minutes to drive miles, I'm sure they intended walking fir longer than 5-10 minutes.

Lunacy.

@atswim2birds

! I mean really, this should be about science and clear laws and rational decisions. Where the F does "the spirit" come into it?!?

It's about understanding nuance, grey areas, and not taking the piss doing things which are unhelpful even if you are technically allowed to.
How are people so confused?

What, according to you, did they do wrong?

@atswim2birds

It's not hard. Stay in your house unless you have a reasonable excuse to leave. A starbucks with your mate is not a reasonable excuse.

That simple.

Oh bugger off. Walking around outdoors with a coffee in your hand isn't attracting a fucking virus. This is insanity.

You cannot impose penalties or imprison people without any lawful basis to do so. That is why laws exist.

These women broke no laws. The police had no lawful powers to impose penalties.

That simple.

Blimey! I met my best mate yesterday, picked her up (both masked) and drove to the seafront (3.5 miles) with a flask, went for a walk then sat ina beach shelter with a couple of seats between us and had a coffee before dropping her back.

Technically I'm a single adult household (teenager under 18, although I'm also a carer for my parents for not sure if they count as my bubble?) and friend is a self-employed gardener so working outside and doesn't haven't direct contact with her clients.

Might have to rethink our tactics.

Appalling of the police to act like this - surely they should have important work to do like upholding the law?!

It is not the police fault or the women’s, it is that the rules are quite ambiguous. Heavy handed restrictions on everything but you can meet another person for a walk each day?

They need to say whether you can or you can’t, leaving the question open is what is causing the problems.

@atswim2birds

It's not hard. Stay in your house unless you have a reasonable excuse to leave. A starbucks with your mate is not a reasonable excuse.

That simple.

A walk with a friend IS necessary for some people's mental health.

They bought take away coffee
They drive separately
They were going for a walk

It's NOT people like this spreading the virus.

Stay home unless absolutely necessary. Coffee out is not necessary.

Go out for specific reasons only. Starbucks is not exercise.

A starbucks with your mate is not a reasonable excuse.

Rather depends on ones circumstances tbf. I've been caring for an 'end of life' parent since the beginning of the first lockdown.

Without my coffees with my best mate I'd be insane or dead by now.

I wish someone would fine my MIL. For most of the year she's been merrily travelling about London on a bus simply to go to the Costa Coffee in the next town. She has a different coffee shop in walking distance from her home.

DH and her have had many cross words about her definition of essential compared to ours. She's also very flexible with her various "bubbles". It's been like banging our heads against a brick wall.

This makes me despair - it isn't hard to understand! I'd hate to be in the police right now, they either get slammed for not clamping down on covidiots or slammed for fining covidiots - can't win.

DD (2) and I were meeting up with my DSis every weekend for a coffee and a walk. Both of us had to drive to get there. We're now not allowed to do this which is upsetting but the guidance is quite clear.

DD and I still regularly walk to our local park and I get a takeaway coffee. That's allowed.

@KarmaNoMore

It is not the police fault or the women’s, it is that the rules are quite ambiguous. Heavy handed restrictions on everything but you can meet another person for a walk each day?

They need to say whether you can or you can’t, leaving the question open is what is causing the problems.

It is the police's fault. The legislation is clear and it is their duty to uphold legislation. Not invent their own.

@Chambored

I think the point was why drive 5 miles somewhere when you can no doubt exercise locally without the need to drive.

Yeah you can argue that should be a rule. But the law says nothing about it at all.

Apparently the police are saying five miles was not in the spirit of lockdown.

Is this how fines related to other laws are decided? Maybe it is, and I’ve just never known it.

@MintyCedric

Blimey! I met my best mate yesterday, picked her up (both masked) and drove to the seafront (3.5 miles) with a flask, went for a walk then sat ina beach shelter with a couple of seats between us and had a coffee before dropping her back.

Technically I'm a single adult household (teenager under 18, although I'm also a carer for my parents for not sure if they count as my bubble?) and friend is a self-employed gardener so working outside and doesn't haven't direct contact with her clients.

Might have to rethink our tactics.

It would be better (if possible) to drive there separately & each to take your own flask or at least she takes her own mug & you pour from arms length into her mug. But 3.5 miles isn't far. Hope you kept the windows open.

I'd do all that to minimise the risk (especially to your parents)

@atswim2birds

Oh bugger off. Walking around outdoors with a coffee in your hand isn't attracting a fucking virus. This is insanity

Bugger off yourself. Meeting another person for a coffee from Starbucks means interaction between the two of you, the barista, other customers and anyone else you meet.

Are people so thick that they still don't understand this is exactly how the fucking virus is spreading? Insanity is right, its insane that 75000 people have died, a thousand a day are dying, hospitals are overwhelmed and you STILL theres nothing wrong with meeting for coffees in fucking starbucks.
Morons.

Oh, I see, so instead of upholding our legal framework you think we should have moral police with powers to punish people for whatever an individual officer considers a moral transgression?

@atswim2birds

Oh bugger off. Walking around outdoors with a coffee in your hand isn't attracting a fucking virus. This is insanity

Bugger off yourself. Meeting another person for a coffee from Starbucks means interaction between the two of you, the barista, other customers and anyone else you meet.

Are people so thick that they still don't understand this is exactly how the fucking virus is spreading? Insanity is right, its insane that 75000 people have died, a thousand a day are dying, hospitals are overwhelmed and you STILL theres nothing wrong with meeting for coffees in fucking starbucks.
Morons.

No-one is meeting in coffee shops because they're closed. Two women drove in two separate cars with two coffees and met in a large open space to walk. They probably got the coffee at a drive thru but even if they didn't, the risk of contracting the virus in Starbucks, which has been one in one out since last March, are slim to none.

@Chloemol

From the Gov,uk website

Exercise
You can continue to exercise alone, with one other person or with your household or support bubble. This should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area.You should maintain social distancing. See exercising.

To me driving 5 miles is not staying in your local area

To me driving 5 miles is your local area

I am guessing you live in a city or town. For those of us living in the countryside driving 5 miles is a routine every day experience and I couldn't access essential shops for groceries, prescriptions etc without doing this