Inside V outside. So the beaches were fine.

[buttheywereonlysatilites]

There's another article on this today. No outbreaks linked to any beaches.
I went to one of the infamous beaches last year. It was very easy to take a photo that suggested everyone was cheek-by-jowl, when in reality once on the beach we had plenty of space to stay away from others.

But beaches aside, I really hope that the inside v outside risk variation is taken into account next time the government look at the rules. The risk of transmission outside is really small. It would be perfectly possible to allow some children's grassroots sports to go ahead with the correct safety measures in place, for example.
The weather is starting to get better. This is a really good opportunity to make a real difference to some people's mental health.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/19/how-the-beach-super-spreader-myth-can-inform-uks-future-covid-response?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

@MummyPop00

Is this the same Guardian that whined about the Cheltenham Festival last March?

I’m confused, Guardian, please tell me what to think.

If you read the article it references events like that. Being deliberately obtuse isn't going to help . This isn't about having packed crowds at the races / football matches / music festivals. It's about safely distanced outdoor activities.

Also the BLM protests. Outside. You still see people say 'so I can't sit in my mum's small unventilated sitting room with 11 of our nearest and dearest but it's ok for people to protest?' Yes. Yes it is.

@icanboogieboogiewoogie

Also the BLM protests. Outside. You still see people say 'so I can't sit in my mum's small unventilated sitting room with 11 of our nearest and dearest but it's ok for people to protest?' Yes. Yes it is.

I know. I'm never sure if people genuinely don't get the difference between the risk outside and inside, or if they are just being difficult. It's utterly shite that we can't see our family and friends indoors, but there are solid scientific reasons behind it.

@ISBN111

Me too. I don’t understand why there hasn’t been investment in developing outdoor areas in schools and other settings.

lack of money given to schools, according to another thread,

I stopped caring about the risk outdoors after I spent a day outside with my sister at the end of the summer, last year, when she unknowingly had it. (When lockdown was eased). She wasn't feeling 100% but no Covid symptoms. Within two days she had all the symptoms and tested positive. None of our group caught it from her and we spent lots of time together.

@Shelovesamystery

I was so 🙄 at the people moaning about people going to busy beaches last year. It was all over FB, all over the news and all over MN (of course). Ffs people were allowed to go to the beach, they literally did nothing wrong. But the pearl clutchers acted as though the people on the beaches were murderers.

The only reason we didn't go to the beach was because of a lack of toilets. I very much disagree with people using the beach and people's gardens like a toilet and rubbish bin, that was unacceptable! But the local councils should have just bloody opened up the public toilets, they were being ridiculous. I really hope they don't do the same again when the weather gets warm. People need to have some fun, kids need a treat, and I'm sure the local tourist industries will need the money.

Agree with this - and not just in terms of beaches. Closing toilets would have nailed the Stay Home procedure to the front door for some people, even if they wanted to go a few miles, and it seems unwise to remove the facilities to wash hands while also recommending that people do it more.

If and when beaches are an option, it must be alongside facilities such as cafes being able to open (at least outdoors) and proper enforcement and punishments for littering.

I mentioned to my cool as a cucumber DS11 that outdoor sports might be one of the first things to restart after school he did a little dance he was so pleased. I really hope it does.

I think the government need to make allowing people to meet outside a priority as the weather gets better. Throughout this lockdown we’ve been allowing DD6 to play and interact with any friends we bump into in the park and it certainly hasn’t affected the fall of infections in the local area. (Over 1000/100000 at New Year, now less than 100/100000).

Reading some of the threads this week it’s been heartening to see that most people are doing more to get out and about in the fresh air and allowing primary aged children to interact more with each other outdoors.

@RedBrickChimney

But the beaches..... all those tattoos and working class people buying Magnums..... and.... and..... beer in plastic glasses..... it really made me clutch my pearls.

I don’t care about class, tattoos or buying magnums but I do care about fuck tonnes of litter and people shitting on the street, in car parks and people’s gardens. That happened and it was not in any way acceptable. It was quite widely known that public loos were largely closed and a bit of common sense would surely lead to checking, and one ever needs to leave their litter behind, no excuse. I don’t think people who live near the beach or in beauty spots object to working class people, they may well be working class themselves; they object to ignorant pigs.