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Original poster

Coronavirus law

19 replies

LilacTree1 · 19/05/2020 11:47

I’m so confused about what’s law and what’s a guideline

I admit I’m further confused by posters who break one rule/law and then get angry if someone else breaks a different rule/law

Is it law you can’t use public transport for anything other than the essential reasons?

Is it the law you can’t meet a friend in their home?

Or are these just guidelines?

Thank you.

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 19/05/2020 13:21

It is not against the law to use public transport. However, the operator can impose their own restrictions and you must have what the regulations call a "reasonable excuse" to leave home.

Meeting a friend in their home isn't against the law as such but that is not a reasonable excuse to leave home. So you have broken the law if you do that.

Collaborate · 19/05/2020 13:46

But walking your dog, and speaking to a neighbour in their front garden as you go by is not breaking the law.

Going to visit my mother in her nursing home is a reasonable excuse. Visiting my father who now lives on his own, and chatting to him in his back garden, after seeing my mother (on the way back home) is, in my view a reasonable excuse.

What is or is not a reasonable excuse has yet to be properly tested in the courts, so the legislation passed in a rush without proper scrutiny has been completely useless. As has the government.

BakedCam · 19/05/2020 15:21

It has been confusing and as Collaborate says, the rushing through of legislation in the manner it was has meant it all remains untested.

My understanding is, about having a reasonable excuse to leave home. If I use public transport to travel to work, shop, collect medication, support a vulnerable person, then that is a reasonable excuse to leave home.

MarieG10 · 19/05/2020 15:38

I would broadly agree with Collaborate.

@prh47bridge Meeting a friend in their home isn't against the law as such but that is not a reasonable excuse to leave home. So you have broken the law if you do that.

Meeting a friend at their home could be a reasonable excuse depending on the circumstances. Aside from the list of specific examples which are reasonable excuses, a court would otherwise have to decide if it was a reasonable excuse. This is not by the test of the police officer, but the standard of the "man on the Clapham omnibus"!

Going to your friends house for drinks etc would unlikely to be a reasonable excuse. Going to your friends house as she is Ill and vulnerable, and needs assistance is likely to be reasonable.

The legislation was so rushed and not scrutinised by parliament that it is virtually impossible to enforce. The police have prosecuted or tickets so many people incorrectly as they don't even understand it that the CPS have had to review every prosecution and it is a nightmare!

Original poster
LilacTree1 · 19/05/2020 15:56

“ Meeting a friend in their home isn't against the law as such but that is not a reasonable excuse to leave home. So you have broken the law if you do that.”

So it is breaking the law?

OP posts:
Original poster
LilacTree1 · 19/05/2020 16:00

Re reasonable excuse, my understanding is that was the first set of conditions but not necessarily the case after the nonsense Boris announcement on the Sunday.

OP posts:
prh47bridge · 19/05/2020 16:11

Meeting a friend at their home could be a reasonable excuse depending on the circumstances

I agree. I assumed from the question that the OP was referring to a purely social visit.

Re reasonable excuse, my understanding is that was the first set of conditions but not necessarily the case after the nonsense Boris announcement on the Sunday

The list of reasonable excuses written into the regulations has been expanded but the fundamental remains - you must have a reasonable excuse to leave home. Note that the list in the regulations is not exhaustive. The fact that something isn't on the list doesn't mean it is unreasonable. However, the fact that something is on the list means it is definitely classed as reasonable.

MarieG10 · 19/05/2020 16:15

Leaving home without reasonable excuse is breaking the law yes. You have to then demonstrate the reason as to why you left was reasonable.

It isn't an offence to enter someone's house. It's the reason why you left and then entered the house which would be considered.

So if you went shopping for someone who is isolating and left it on the doorstep, that would be reasonable. If you too, the shopping and went in their house, had a cup of tea etc, probably not reasonable. However, if the person is vulnerable, disabled etc and can't put the shopping away, then yes reasonable.

The law, apart from the specific examples listed doesn't say what is reasonable. Hence why police forces got in a mess trying to decide themselves what was reasonable, and guess what broke the law themselves by setting up unlawful roadblocks to stop cars and check what shopping had been bought. Checking shopping trolleys on leaving the shop to see if they had inky bought essential items...all unlawful

Neverending2020 · 19/05/2020 16:36

I have visited a friend at her house.
She just lost her husband of 59 years.
She has no children and is completely alone and in a most terrible state.
I have made my own decision. I don't care if the government doesn't agree with me.

MarieG10 · 19/05/2020 16:45

I don't think you would be prosecuted

shookbelves · 19/05/2020 16:49

@Neverending2020 Your poor friend, I'm so sorry. You did absolutely the right thing.

Original poster
LilacTree1 · 19/05/2020 18:52

Neverending I’m so sorry

You did the right thing.

OP posts:
Original poster
LilacTree1 · 19/05/2020 18:53

Marie “ The police have prosecuted or tickets so many people incorrectly as they don't even understand it that the CPS have had to review every prosecution and it is a nightmare!”

I wonder how many of them will hold up!

OP posts:
user1635482648 · 19/05/2020 18:55

The law is available online for anyone to read. Legislation.gov.uk

Original poster
LilacTree1 · 19/05/2020 18:56

Yes user

But I’m afraid I’m finding a lot of it hard to understand

I won’t apologise for that as I’m not a lawyer.

OP posts:
Neverending2020 · 19/05/2020 20:01

Her husband went into hospital without the virus.
After a couple of weeks she was phoned by the hospital to say he was coming home the next day.
They tested him before he left the hospital.
He had caught it in there and he subsequently died...

Familylawsolicitor · 20/05/2020 07:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Familylawsolicitor · 20/05/2020 07:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Itsjustmee · 20/05/2020 08:45

Neverending2020
My DH & I visit my dad every day and have done since the lockdown began
He’s recently widowed after 52 years
Bad mobility and other illness
I do his shopping, cleaning and check on him and keep him company . I do anything techie for him
I bring my dog as he loves to see him and really boost his mood
If I didn’t do that he would be completely on his own as he is staying in due to having diabetes and COPD
I’ve even took him out for a drive last week when he had an appointment with his podiatrist. As he hadn’t been out in 7 weeks . So we took an “ essential drive” around our city .and he was cracking up at all the queues at B&Q
I also think it helped him to see what it was like outside with regards to the queue. As he had been mumbling about going out himself . A short drive around took him right back to reality 😂

I took time to read about all the rules/ laws about what you can and can’t do and have made up my own mind about what good for my father .
It’s helps that I live close anyway so it’s not a hassle for me

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