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Coronavirus

Coronavirus - The Poll

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    97
Alsty said:
Looking at the legislation I don't see why driving wouldn't be allowed as long as it was for the purpose of one of the 'reasonable excuses', but I agree with the principle of everyone staying home and avoiding unnecessary travel. The law is fairly poorly drafted in my opinion but such is the nature of emergency laws.
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The guidance is quite clear about not travelling unnecessarily.

jon81uk said:
And there is guidance on the government FAQ asking people not to drive to get exercise.

14. Can I drive to a national park or other green space to walk?
We advise you to stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily.

You can still go to the park for outdoor exercise once a day but only by yourself or within your household, not in groups.

We ask you to keep 2 metres apart from others outside your household at all times when outdoors.

from https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...-a-national-park-or-other-green-space-to-walk

and the following question 15 sets out that you can be fined if you break the rules.
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Reading this topic makes me ponder the question, “Why is that some people cannot cope with authority?” Learning to be a little more accepting of others views and having the ability to see things from the perspective of others will get you further in life than constantly arguing against policies and procedures put in place for your own safety.

To use an Alton Towers analogy from when I used to work on Rides, you are the person who would shout at me for not allowing 8 people on a row on the Blade because “it would probably be fine”. Yes; it probably will be fine, but that’s not the point! Rules are there for your safety and for the safety of others.

Whoever wants to take this as being directed at them, it is probably directed at you.
 
bluesonichd said:
Police state. Power hungry coppers running the streets
:(
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Yeah they shoot on site if we dare leave our front door. Sad times

All the coppers I've come into contact with have been very friendly and courteous, not had any issues at all (and I've been following government guidance so have nothing to worry about anyway).

Our area has the highest number of cases in one concentrated area outside of London, so there is a rationale here for there to be more of a police presence. Plus I've seen so many large groups of teens and kids out and about the past 2 weeks... no one seems to understand the rules.

Sent from my Huawei P30 Pro using Tapatalk
 
Alsty said:
Guidance is not the law. I made it clear I agree with the guidance but I'm questioning the quality of the legislation.
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I guess its similar to when the government said people shouldnt go to pubs initially. It left pubs and customers wondering if they are allowed or not. Same with this I guess. Saying you shouldnt drive to exercise is not quite the same as saying you must not, or it is banned. No wonder there was the news yesterday that Police forces are being told to be more consistent with their approach when the law isn't crystal clear and open to interpretation.
 
GaryH said:
I guess its similar to when the government said people shouldnt go to pubs initially. It left pubs and customers wondering if they are allowed or not. Same with this I guess. Saying you shouldnt drive to exercise is not quite the same as saying you must not, or it is banned. No wonder there was the news yesterday that Police forces are being told to be more consistent with their approach when the law isn't crystal clear and open to interpretation.
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I understand what you mean, but if a pub closed they lost income so wanted to stay open as long as possible, you visiting a pub benefits you (socially) and the venue (economically). Whereas driving to a national park to exercise is more selfish as you are the only one who benefits is you.
I think there needs to be firmer rules that say do not travel so that the BTP can enforce it on the underground as well, but I think most people on the tube are going for work, its just that many people can't work from home.
 
The police and courts can only enforce the law as it is, not as we think it should be. If the law is poorly written then you can't enforce it against the people who don't heed the advice.
 
Alsty said:
The police and courts can only enforce the law as it is, not as we think it should be. If the law is poorly written then you can't enforce it against the people who don't heed the advice.
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I get that, and the government should have been more explicit. However the official guideline states "stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily". I just don't get why @bluesonichd, as worried as he is about this virus, is arguing with official guidelines put in place to slow the spread.
 
The government have a delicate balance to keep. Issuing laws means police are tied up having to legally enforce them. Issue a mix of laws and advice/guidance, and it allows the police to advise and the public to hopefully follow both.

Some forces have got this wrong, and personally this appears to have been addressed in recent days. I don't blame the police, this an unprecedented situation that we're in and they're simply trying to prevent a situation spiralling out of control. Some may see overhanded clampdown on a few small groups walking in a countryside beauty spot, whereas those few small groups can soon become a mass gathering of people with little ability to socially distance on a warm weekend with nice weather. They're just trying to nip it in the bud before it gets out of hand as we saw in the weekend before the stricter measures were introduced.

Yes there is no specific law, but we have guidance. As a country, law or no law we all have a moral obligation to try and stop this as quickly as possible and prevent those at risk from catching it. The more people listen to the advice and actually stay put and not needlessly head out to the countryside or coast the better chance we have of quickly returning to normal.
 
Just crossed the border into Wales along a very popular drug running route to pick up my click + collect shopping. Not a single cop car en route, no checkpoint Charlie and no evidence of a dystopian world. I was overtaken by 2 ambulances though which was a sobering reminder that I wasn't out on a jolly.

Such a weird experience at the moment, sat in a cordoned off area of a car park waiting for someone to dump my shopping and run.

Hopefully the return leg is equally as quiet.

Edit: Luckily I had missed out on a rolling road block by the police (for road repairs before those tin foil hats get thrown on) and I got to see the Beluga land at Airbus, which is odd as I thought it was shutdown.

It wasn't like GTA out there with police hunting me down and an essential trip has now been completed. Time to hunker down for another 2 weeks.
 
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Funny enough just been watching BBC News showing aerial footage over the 2 bridges and around the area. Motorways are silent. Very errie. Also just been looking at webcams from major cities around the world. Quite sad to see all these places which were once hubs of activity, people sat outside enjoying a coffee, now deserted.
 
Islander said:
As someone who, before the lockdown, was extremely vocal that a lockdown should be enforced, I really, really don't get why you're now looking for loopholes and gaps in the advice at every opportunity.

What exactly has caused you to make such a u-turn in your stance?
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because however much I dont want to die from this, its wrong that police seam to have all these so called powers that dont exist . and some, not all, take delight in thinking they are the law.
Laws are made by an elected parliament and debated on, not a member of the pubic in a police uniform

Coronavirus: Derbyshire Police admits force can't stop walkers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-52109160
 
bluesonichd said:
because however much I dont want to die from this, its wrong that police seam to have all these so called powers that dont exist . and some, not all, take delight in thinking they are the law.
Laws are made by an elected parliament and debated on, not a member of the pubic in a police uniform

Coronavirus: Derbyshire Police admits force can't stop walkers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-52109160
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But also https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-52121216

and this was a fine issued in court so its a judge enforcing the law, if you can't explain why your travel is essential, you may be fined.

The short answer is don't go out driving unless it is essential. While exercise itself is essential, you can walk or cycle for exercise.
 
bluesonichd said:
because however much I dont want to die from this, its wrong that police seam to have all these so called powers that dont exist . and some, not all, take delight in thinking they are the law.
Laws are made by an elected parliament and debated on, not a member of the pubic in a police uniform
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So before the lockdown came into place, and you were very much supporting the idea of a lockdown... what exactly is it that you wanted put into place?


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well I wanted people to stop being stupid and ignoring advice,

now we end up with both people and the police being stupid. :(

to be honest tho if I dont get my knickers in a twist about this then it will be how we are all going to die
so
:sweat:
 
bluesonichd said:
well I wanted people to stop being stupid and ignoring advice,

now we end up with both people and the police being stupid. :(

to be honest tho if I dont get my knickers in a twist about this then it will be how we are all going to die
so
:sweat:
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So you want people to stop ignoring advice. But you also do not want the police to try and stop people from ignoring said advice.

Right. o_O
 
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