Covid-19 Travel for exercise - Reasonable distance

[Woody girl]

Extreme comments? I dont think they are extreme.
I too have my main supermarket either 15 or 25 miles away for a tesco or morrisons.
It is possible to get deliveries which most people in my area do so that we dont have to travel.
I go to my local supermarket once a week for essentials such as milk and eggs, late at night, just before it closes so it is very quiet and maybe only one or two customers inside. During the day it's very busy, so I rarely go at those times.
I have enough food, what with my garden veg, and that which i have in my stores in tins and packets to never go out if need be for a month or so.

I'm properly masked, and gel my hands both before entry and on exit of the shop, which is something I rarely see others doing.
I stay at home.

 

[Stew]

Oh dear. If it needs a "bit of travel" then this is a prime example of bending the rules to suit oneself. Just because mountain climbing is allowed, that doesn't give me the right to travel out of my local area to do it.
My nearest beach is 25 miles away, but I've stayed local, and not gone, despite on occasions having an overwhelming urge to get out and do something, and go somewhere different.
The advice is stay at home.
Exercise localy,
and if that means not travelling to another area to do your accustomed sport, that's sadly tough.

A prime example of using some sense. The run I went on earlier had me seeing 22 people close by ( I counted). The last paddle I went on - 0.
And by a bit of travel - a couple of miles (still more than walking) - so less than work or donating but about the same as food shopping.

 

[Woody girl]

A prime example of using some sense. The run I went on earlier had me seeing 22 people close by ( I counted). The last paddle I went on - 0.
And by a bit of travel - a couple of miles (still more than walking) - so less than work or donating but about the same as food shopping.

Ah but you didn't say that, which is an example of how easily wires can get crossed and hackles raised.
I have been for nearly 11 months, struggling alone pretty much stuck in my vally because of many people thinking it's ok to travel to my area to visit their second homes or have a holiday or go for a walk clogging up our roads and normally deserted walks from other worse affected areas.
Yes it makes me angry, as their behaviour has made matters worse for everyone.
It hasn't been great for my physical or mental health either, but I not winging about it, and trying to bend the rules to suit myself.
I could have put my bike on the road and gone for a ride,but having almost lost two friends to the proliferation of non local drivers taking their exercise over the last few months, blasting around the country roads like they are still in town has put me right off that one.
To be honest I can't see how it can be clearer!
STAY AT HOME UNLESS THE JOURNEY IS ESSENTIAL.
EXERCISE LOCALY ,not 25 miles away.
There has to be a line somewhere if we are ever going to beat this virus, and I genuinely feel sorry for those who might feel hard done by, but only sorry that they can't see it's for everyone's good,.
Sorry but this is realy bugging me now. It's been 11months and I see no end because people wont stick to the rules and, I must add the government has dithered too much. Thanks boris!

 

[santaman2000]

I can’t remember who said upthread that the driving was getting worse at the moment. Here in the US we’ve had a rising level of problems over parking spaces. We’ve never been big on public transportation anyway but the pandemic has convinced merely everybody to abandon it (for fear of being too close to fellow passengers) in favor of going back to their POVs (Personally Owned Vehicles) a consequence has been an even greater shortage of parking spots at the destinations and the resulting arguments and physical fights

 

[slowworm]

I was sent this link, it has the thoughts of a virologist, with a conclusion that outside exercise shaming people might not be the most effective thing to do. The argument looks coherent and reasonable.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1348771251758784517

Worth repeating this and worth people reading her tweets. The risk of catching COVID from someone exercising outdoors seems to be almost negligible.

From talking to family and friends who have caught it or know someone who has it's because so many people visit each others house or precautions are not taking in places of work.

 

[MikeeMiracle]

I have to question how much lower the death rate would be if we had a properly funded NHS. True we all have to play our part, but it seems like ALL the blame is being put onto individuals when the NHS has been staved of money and resources for a decade since the Tories came to power. Even the main government line was "Save the NHS." This slogan would be a lot less relevant if the NHS were given the resources required for a supposed "civilised" and "developed" country that the UK claims to be.

The government, particularly the Tories, is happy for us to keep pointing the finger at each other instead of themselves. We need to remember this the next time the elections come around.

 

[Allison McKenzie]

There is a lady who keeps cycling past my window. She appears to be doing hill repeats on a folding bike in the rain. She is awesome!

 

[MrEd]

I have to question how much lower the death rate would be if we had a properly funded NHS. True we all have to play our part, but it seems like ALL the blame is being put onto individuals when the NHS has been staved of money and resources for a decade since the Tories came to power. Even the main government line was "Save the NHS." This slogan would be a lot less relevant if the NHS were given the resources required for a supposed "civilised" and "developed" country that the UK claims to be.

The government, particularly the Tories, is happy for us to keep pointing the finger at each other instead of themselves. We need to remember this the next time the elections come around.

Yeah, I think we have the lowest, or second lowest number of hospital beds per head of population than any other European country.

 

[Ed the Ted]

The government, particularly the Tories, is happy for us to keep pointing the finger at each other instead of themselves.

Well said. The UK (news and government) has been playing a game of 'which segment of the population shall we speculatively blame for current covid situation' since the beginning, and unsurprisingly its never those who have been under and de-funding health and welfare services for years and years and years!

At the beginning of lockdown I was in West Wales and it was amazing how quickly the 'not from round here' village mentality set in. Multiple examples of misguided vigilantism on village facebook groups, spray painting on roads saying 'stay out', all the rest of it. Not saying its not a dire situation especially in places reachable by urban centres, or where lots of second homes are owned, south of england in particular. But this is a population health crisis that the health service is being overwhelmed by because its been beaten and abused for years by government, and people still want to blame a perceived 'outsider' who is going for a walk.

 

[Paul_B]

Iirc Italy has more beds per population but they really got overwhelmed. Doctors ignoring elderly because they were focusing on saving the younger and more likely to survive because they had too many victims for resources.

In new York they were overwhelmed but their hospitals are very much resourced because of competition and private healthcare.

Could the NHS do more with more money? Always!!! How much more simply relates to how much more you're willing to pay. Unlimited money they really could save lives. Do you want that? We've never got close to fully funding the NHS, never under any political colour. Culturally we're prone to wanting true socialist spending levels in the NHS but capitalist taxation. Good luck if youexpect that to change.

 

[Paul_B]

Btw the comments about spending mine included, are very much bordering on political. Aiui this forum is about not having political threads and comments. Perhaps discussing funding and current government is best left to politically active forums.

I'm as much a sucker for reacting to political posts as much as the next man, but hopefully I can resist in future.

 

[slowworm]

I'm not going to go down the party political route as it's against forum rules.

However, it's not just about throwing cash about, it's about spending it sensibly which I constantly hear from people I know in the NHS isn't done.

Just looking at the COVID vaccination it seems plenty are being wasted probably down to poor management as well as public indifference.

 

[Paul_B]

Ain't that always the case? Bureaucracy costs money you know!

 

[evilhousegoblin]

I travel to work, and use the opportunity to visit shops that I could otherwise not go as they are too far away. I feel that whilst not forbidden, I am going against the spirit of the rules.... Fully masked and socially distant of course.

 

[Fadcode]

Yeah, I think we have the lowest, or second lowest number of hospital beds per head of population than any other European country.

very interesting......he said as he hid behind a bush.......I transgress where was I.
Without being political, if you lookback to Mrs Thatchers time in office, one of her aims to which she succeeded, was to cut the number of empty beds in hospitals, at this time hospitals had at least 25% empty beds just in case of emergency, Air Crash, Fire etc, she saw this as a waste, and to get rid of the empty beds she closed down the small cottage hospitals, making the areas covered by the hospitals larger, and therefore in her mind more efficient.

 

[Fadcode]

There is a lady who keeps cycling past my window. She appears to be doing hill repeats on a folding bike in the rain. She is awesome!

You sure she hasnt got the elastic in her knickers caught on the gate post

 

[MrEd]

very interesting......he said as he hid behind a bush.......I transgress where was I.
Without being political, if you lookback to Mrs Thatchers time in office, one of her aims to which she succeeded, was to cut the number of empty beds in hospitals, at this time hospitals had at least 25% empty beds just in case of emergency, Air Crash, Fire etc, she saw this as a waste, and to get rid of the empty beds she closed down the small cottage hospitals, making the areas covered by the hospitals larger, and therefore in her mind more efficient.

which is fine in principle, but as we have seen with the pandemic (and previous winters) it leaves no capacity in the system, so long term is panning out as a dumb idea.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

There is a lady who keeps cycling past my window. She appears to be doing hill repeats on a folding bike in the rain. She is awesome!

I can see the Daily Mail headline now ......"pedalling for Britain."

 

[Allison McKenzie]

I can see the Daily Mail headline now ......"pedalling for Britain."

I am not sure the daily mail likes cyclists. It would be 'toxic cyclist spreads virus over middle class streets'

 

[TLM]

Last spring we had the capital almost totally isolated from the rest of the country for about a month, just necessary traffic allowed, police on almost all roads blocking. In a few days some invented it as a game to try to look for unblocked roads to go through, in the end it was not very difficult as there just were not enough policemen. No body knows if it worked or not.

But considering this Wuhanflu travelling is not the main problem as that infects nobody. Again preventing large meetings is kind of secondary tactic again. The problem is direct close contact with unknown people, as far as I have seen no government has tried to tackle that directly. all just with indirect measures. Maybe it would be time to try that too, so far most other interventions have not worked that well.