Nicholas43
Member
- Joined
- 16 Jun 2011
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- 514
Modified regulations for England are now published: SI 2020/350
Regulation 6 now includes, as examples of 'reasonable excuses' for being away from home, that a person may "take exercise ... with one member of another household", and "visit a public open space for the purposes of open-air recreation to promote their physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing ... with one member of another household".
I agree that these are reasonable excuses. Moreover, they must always have been reasonable excuses, because the threat from the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not (yet) significantly diminished. So, on this aspect, the talk of relaxation of the regulations is misleading; they have merely been made more explicit. (On the other hand, presumably the government would argue that new protocols agreed with estate agents now make it reasonable to view a house you are thinking of buying, when previously it wasn't.)
In my view the verbiage about "physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing" is most odd, and I wonder what PC Plod is supposed to make of it. "Hullo hullo, may I enquire for what purpose you two are sitting on this here park bench?" (a) "We are promoting our emotional wellbeing." "That's all right then." (b) "We are both having a massive sulk." "You're nicked."
Note that, as ever, the regulations (as opposed to the non-binding, and rather incoherent, guidance) say nothing about 2 metres.
Regulation 6 now includes, as examples of 'reasonable excuses' for being away from home, that a person may "take exercise ... with one member of another household", and "visit a public open space for the purposes of open-air recreation to promote their physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing ... with one member of another household".
I agree that these are reasonable excuses. Moreover, they must always have been reasonable excuses, because the threat from the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not (yet) significantly diminished. So, on this aspect, the talk of relaxation of the regulations is misleading; they have merely been made more explicit. (On the other hand, presumably the government would argue that new protocols agreed with estate agents now make it reasonable to view a house you are thinking of buying, when previously it wasn't.)
In my view the verbiage about "physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing" is most odd, and I wonder what PC Plod is supposed to make of it. "Hullo hullo, may I enquire for what purpose you two are sitting on this here park bench?" (a) "We are promoting our emotional wellbeing." "That's all right then." (b) "We are both having a massive sulk." "You're nicked."
Note that, as ever, the regulations (as opposed to the non-binding, and rather incoherent, guidance) say nothing about 2 metres.
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