Outdoor exercise could be banned in the UK

In the UK, where i am, there is a massive difference between what the legislation says; 'police can only act against suspected infected people and require them too...' Also; what constitutes an offence (including not recognising a reasonable request) . And what the GUIDELINES say.

Whilst i encourage everyone to follow the guidelines - they are not a legally enforceable requirement.

Except, in English law, if something goes wrong and it can be shown that following the guidelines would have avoided it, then they will throw the book at you - in hindsight.

Not foresight.

c.f the highway code. Not law (except some of the rules in the code which do represent law), but if you dont follow the other rules, and commit an offence, you could be in big trouble. 'Should' is advisory.

The Scot wrote:

If we followed your idea it would be a real pain for the police to monitor it and disperse groups/couples who (inevitably) had crept closer than 2m apart. You can guarantee the public wouldn't self-police it. In fact we saw that yesterday.

Well there's your problem right there - it shouldn't be an issue of "self" policing. It's literally a simple case of the police policing. And as you've described in your area, the problem arises in confined areas, e.g. parks where it really pretty simple to have a couple of police on patrol during their jobs.

Whether there's actually enough police to do the job is probably the real question - due to years and years of cut backs. Ironically really, since this probably the main topic of conversation today via the drip fed media, deflecting from the discussion around why the NHS is chronically short of the required equipment, masks, etc and why there are no testing kits due to year and years of cut backs to the NHS. Round on each other not the Government.

Young people here in Montreal seem to be using trips to the park as a way to justify ignoring the group meeting ban. I see a few dozen groups of 2-5 people in the 15-30 age range walking through the park on each of my runs, way more than can possibly be explained by housemates going for a walk together.

Honestly I don't particularly mind, but if the parks are closed down because of it I'll be pretty pissed. There have also been a few pretty rude groups of people that have shouted at me about violating their 2 meter bubble even though they're the ones ignoring the meeting ban, taking up the entire trail, and not making any room for me to pass at a distance despite seeing me coming from a few hundred meters away. Walkers are usually pretty bad about that, but at least they don't usually shout at me when i pass.

This is so authoratrian, after house arrest next stop wil; be setting up quarantine camps and most of the population will be cheering it on like 1940s Germans. Proper curtian twitchers on here

My experience wrote:

If anything, this ban had the opposite impact. I have been running here for more than 15 years and never saw so many runners outdoors (though to be fair, all gyms are closed so that could explain some of the increase in outdoor running).

100% correct.

Just ban all movement slower than 10mph and faster than 15. And have a no stopping rule.

It's always the lycra warriors in the UK. They think they're above the law: never stopping at lights, zooming through crossings swearing at pedestrians, taking up the whole road in the countryside, etc. So it's no wonder they are flouting the guidelines.

I refuse to be locked up like cattle! I'll get up at 3AM, dress in all-black and hide in the bushes when the cops come past if I have to!

Fvck this wrote:

If this is introduced, I will be out for a run every day. I cannot live in an Orwellian state of house arrest if my actions are hurting nobody. Ban exercise? How is this going to help relieve pressure on the NHS? It will hammer people's mental health in the short run, and physical health in the slightly longer term, which will just bring those patients into the NHS wards instead of COVID-19 patients.

They had DRONES shaming people for going for a walk in ISOLATION. We are going down the big-brother path, and it scares me more than the fvcking disease. I hope to God this is a bluff from Hancock, but I can see the writing on the wall.

This is sickening.

Don’t worry, it is an empty threat, they won’t do it as the backlash will be too much for them and impossible to police.

There are still groups of dickheads up and down the country who think the rules don't or shouldn't apply to them.

Groups of people yesterday in public parks sunbathing ffs.

How can you not understand simple f**king rules in the midst of a global health crisis?

Bring back public hanging, that's what I say.

Great way to bog down these precious resources and take away from any actual virus prevention/slowing. Classic government having no clue and making things worse if true.