Exercise isn't the reason for high transmission

[starfro]

Tens of millions of people are working in small offices or interacting all day with the public. Hour upon hour spent next to infectious people, and whilst masks might lower transmission somewhat, they're not enough to stop you getting infected in these places.

On my 90 minute dog walk today I saw one person from a long distance (I drove a few miles to somewhere quiet).

Why focus on the trivial when the main problems are indoor mixing at work and schools? Who cares if Boris goes on a bike ride, or someone drives 10 miles to exercise - it makes essentially no difference if done sensibly.

Also where i live in London has a small number of nice places within walking distance - but because there are so many people living here - every time you go for a walk there are so many people - it’s uncomfortable at times - you end up very close to people all crowded in - trying to walk down by the canal etc

It’s actually better for me to go for an 8 mile cycle or even further away and avoid the local nice places to go for walks

Completely agree with you OP. I'm convinced that people gathering indoors socially or for work are the culprits of the spread of the infection. The risk to taking a walk in the park with a friend or playing tennis with someone outdoors is negligible. We shouldn't be made to feel guilty!

Stoppping people meeting outside for exercise will surely only make a tiny difference to infection rates. It’s likely to be something that the benefits of it ( good for well-being etc) far far outweigh any risk. And being able to meet a friend for a walk helps people to hopefully lockdown for longer. Without it, the public are going to get more frustrated more quickly.

Having said that. I have met with a couple of friends recently who seem incapable of maintaining 2m distance and always want to stand by me to chat. And as i look around I notice pairs of friends who just don’t bother to social distance at the park etc. If people were better at just maintaining some distance I think this could help

Total UK workforce is only about 33 million. There aren't 20 million+ in shared offices right now. I agree with broader thread perspective otherwise.

But you’re not doing anything wrong? Has anybody complained to you?

Denisethemenace there is talk of banning joint exercise by the government

I agree... although we're in London where the parks are quite crowded, everyone still manages to keep their distance as much as they can and be considerate.

I suspect the main vectors of transmission include:
Hospitals
Schools
Supermarkets
Public transport
Factories and other workplaces such as distribution hubs and post depots and sorting centres

But how do you shut any of those?

Disapproving as we may be, I doubt it's the three people queuing apart from each other for their takeaway coffee, although no interaction is without risk.

Bluegot

Denisethemenace there is talk of banning joint exercise by the government“

I know. Don’t think that includes dogs, though 😁

Repeat, OP was t doing anything wrong.

Wasn’t

How can offices be safe when you breathe the same air? Three people in my office tested positive in turn. They sit next to each other albeit the required 2m. Its a joke

There are many office workers who could work perfectly well from home, and who did so last March, who are being compelled to go in now, even though we are in the middle of a worse crisis and in an area where numbers are sky high and the local hospitals are already struggling.

My partner is one of them. He has been told that they know he works just as well at home but, because a minority of others don't, everyone has to go in. That includes those who are vulnerable and those who have vulnerable family members at home.

As the CEO has a tendency to get rid of those who question his way of seeing things, absolutely no-one, even the directors dare speak up.

There has been not a whisper from the government about this wholesale breach of the rules. It would sooner focus on low hanging fruit. I notice the Home Secretary managed to sidestep a question on this yesterday.

I think messallover has summed it up

@Northernsoullover

How can offices be safe when you breathe the same air? Three people in my office tested positive in turn. They sit next to each other albeit the required 2m. Its a joke

People throughout the Pandemic have thought in black and white. Office is either safe or not safe. 1.5metres is unsafe, 2.5metres is safe, no mask = unsafe, mask = safe etc etc.

The reality is that transmission risk is on a sliding scale, and increases with time. You can do thinks like masks, 2metres etc to reduce risk, but ultimately if you spend all day with an infected person you'll likely get infected.

@DenisetheMenace - no I'm not doing anything wrong legally. I'd also be quite happy that it's within the guidance too, but some seem to want to punish anyone that goes outside. Normally it's people that don't like doing outdoor things anyway, so their own laziness gives them a sense of moral superiority. Many people LOVE feeling morally superior to others.

My biggest annoyance is the so called "moral" arguments. They seem to stem from the idea that the Pandemic is a sort of religious punishment, and the more you make yourself miserable, the quicker it goes away.

It's self-flaggelation in the 21st century. Anything you do that is enjoyable is "not in the spirit" so must be bad, despite not making a slight bit of difference to transmission.

Ah but the residents living near the coast/countryside need to be able to complain about the hordes of tourists (on the grounds of safety of course....cause they never complained about tourists before...).

On a more serious note, I'm inclined to agree.

I know very few people who have tested positive but then the majority of people I know are wfh, have not been in and out of each others houses, have relied on online shopping etc.

They have all made an effort to get out to exercise though and not always in the immediate vicinity (as the local parks are crowded).

I do think its MORE responsible for those with a car to drive to somewhere quieter, leaving local parks for those who don't drive and have no other option.
This might be particular to London though...9 million people, lots without gardens....

It's a balance, though, and not just about transmission.

If you get in a car to drive somewhere quieter, you're not spreading the virus necessarily but you are at risk of having a car accident, and there may not be treatment for you in the local hospital, or an ambulance, or the fire service. We're supposed to be not using emergency services unnecessarily.

I don't care if my neighbour cycles 7 miles away to get some exercise, and I agree it's not the most important issues, but I still think Boris Johnson is meant to set an example. When people hear about his bike ride, it's basically clarifying an ambiguous rule (what does it mean by staying in your own local area?) by telling us that in London the person who makes the rules says it's ok to drive 2 or 3 boroughs away to do exercise, even if you have a big park on your doorstep.

I think it's also different from someone in a smaller town driving to a country park or similar. If a big chunk of the population of London decides to drive 7 miles to exercise, that's a lot more traffic on the road, more accidents, more people stopping for coffees, etc. Why couldn't he just cycle along the Thames path or use the green corridor a few minutes from Downing Street of St James's, Green and Hyde Parks for exercise?

@RandomGrammarPun. I agree with your point, but there are a lot of factors to be balanced here.

For example:

If we don't leave the house to exercise, my feral toddler will be a complete nightmare due to excess energy and start engaging in "risky behaviour" (sliding down the stairs, climbing on the table and jumping off the sofa).

• Risk of catching Covid = nil.
• Risk of trip to A&E = moderate. We did have to call the doctor due to a couple of bumps on the head in the last lockdown.

If we go to our small local park with playground just around the corner. Buzzing with other families and children but everyone is generally considerate and trying to observe social distancing.

• Risk of catching Covid = Moderate.
• Risk of trip to A&E = low. Some risk of a playground accident but I'm generally supervising more closely than at home.

If we drive 10 minutes to our local woods which are quiet at the moment due to the cold and mud and where we might see 5-10 other people during our walk.

• Risk of catching Covid = very low.
• Risk of trip to A&E = low. Increased by the potential for a car accident but probably less risky for accidents than the playground.

@AlecTrevelyan006

The unfit and unhealthy can never turn an opportunity to criticise those who exercise - Covid gives them a free pass for being sanctimonious and selfish while appearing to care about others

Nailed it!

Boris Johnson is meant to set an example
I agree and it's as if he can't resist mocking us, laughing at us, clowning around not taking it seriously
The plebs don't really matter

I've never defended Johnson before but as a cyclist - you can't cycle for exercise in the royal parks or along the Thames especially at the moment - far too many pedestrians and the royal parks have limited cycling provision. The Olympic park is nuch better for cyclists, loads of space and easy to distance. If you are a reasonably fit adult, you do need a fair bit of mileage for a bike ride to be exercise and you need to be able to go fast sometimes, without endangering or intimidating other people.

@starfro, I agree with you. Misery and anxiety won't help stop the virus, or promote good mental health. Sensible, practical, flexible advice about protecting ourselves and others while we exercise would. It clearly isn't necessary to drive to the Lake District from hundreds of miles away but there are umpteen reasons why a short journey to exercise may make sense and it isn't possible to legislate for them all.

@MessAllOver - totally, that's why I said it was a fne balance.

Your toddler absolutely needs exercise and fresh air. People who have big gardens need to maybe be a bit considerate and use those some of the time. We need to all be thinking of boring and less interesting routes so we're not in all the same one pretty place, and make car journeys as short as they can be (and not using them at all in bad ice, I would argue) but, yes, probably using cars to get away from the busiest places on occasion.

It's a balance and about not being selfish.

I still don't see why runners have to spit

If Boris is so enthusiastic about cycling why isn't he doing something about the lack of provision for cyclists in the UK?
cycling is a great form of exercise and a fantastic way to get about but it's also highly incompatible with motor vehicle traffic, people who are walking dogs running etc, we need better cycle paths, we need better provision so that everyone can exercise outdoors without getting all tangled up and annoyed with each other!!

Indeed, it seems like a case of going for easy problems that aren't really problems. Although it seems there are all these people I've never seen who are using exercise to socialise. I'm obviously NFI to these street parties