I'm befuddled by the idea that somehow the rules are vague or there's a lack of information. For days now the gvt have been saying STAY AT HOME, PROTECT THE NHS, SAVE LIVES. I'm not sure how that can be misinterpreted.
The guidance was published on Monday 23rd March and is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others
Difficulties only seem to arise where people seem to want to see if they fit into the 'exceptions' category, e.g. can 'travelling for work purposes' be expanded to 'travelling for exercising my dog purposes'? Or, does 'stay at home' mean 'leave home and go to my holiday cottage / caravan / for a walk in the countryside'? Or, does 'shopping for basic necessities' include 'shopping for non-basic necessities and having frequent little trips out'?
At any point where people are saying 'Oh but ...' what they're actually doing is refusing to stay at home, refusing to protect the NHS and refusing to save lives. I don't know what makes them think they're so important that they need to put the rest of us, including our front line workers, at risk.
Ok, so my most ?local? shop is 9 miles away. If there was a 2 kilometre lockdown like there is in Ireland now, we couldn't shop.
I am not attempting to get out of the lockdown at all or fulfil my desire to travel the country. I am genuinely confused about what the term ?local? means? As I said, if I were to walk my dog as locally as possible, I would be coming into close contact with many other neighbours also walking their dogs locally.
I live in Suffolk. It is flat, there is absolutely no risk for anyone getting stuck on a mountain. And all the local walks are footpaths around fields. Everyone here has at least one dog.
If I drive two miles in any direction I see no other cars, no people, shops, pubs or garages. So yes, I am confused as to what it means for the risk of contamination if I choose to drive to more open countryside to walk my dog.
I live in the sticks!
I understand if you live in a town, city or even a village and I understand we can't have folk driving miles out if their local area to have a country walk. But I live in the sticks. So the information needs to be specific.
And fwiw, since the lockdown there are MORE people here in the lane outside my house walking dogs and children than ever before. So by keeping it very local they have increased the risk of contamination, surely?
Your most local shop is the one that's nearest to you. Your most local supermarket is the one that's nearest to you.
I walk my dog locally, I live in the middle of Brighton. I manage to do this without coming within 6ft of anyone else and it's massively densely populated. One way of avoiding contact, for example, is to go out early in the morning or late in the evening.
The reason for not driving isn't just about contamination (although even putting petrol in the car is a weak spot in terms of infection control), accidents (cluttering up the NHS), using resources that will likely be in short supply (fuel); but I guess most importantly it's because the cops aren't mind readers / don't have crystal balls - how on earth would they know who was popping a couple of miles up the road and who'd driven 10 miles to get out and about? So, blanket ban, easiest way to do it. Doesn't have to be fair. Doesn't have to be logical for 100% of people. Just has to have maximum benefit for maximum number and be resource efficient.
^^ Oh, and people have to be seen to not having an unfair advantage. Panic, along with civil unrest, is a real danger. Folks living in tower blocks in London, queuing three hours for food, with a 5,000 bed exhibition arena for a hospital, and swimming pools being converted into temporary morgues, aren't going to really appreciate seeing pictures of the waxed jacket brigade. The cops struggle to keep a lid on it at the best of times. If we're all in it together, people have to believe that.
