However, when the new rules actually came out (here), and I mean for England, as, confusingly, other UK countries are not quite the same, I did wonder how the police were supposed to enforce them at all.
For example, a gathering of more than 2 people is prohibited, unless from same household. How to you prove you are from the same household, or, more importantly in an "innocent until proven guilty culture" how do the police prove you are not? You don't have to carry ID.
But I assumed some sense. E.g. a couple with a child going for a walk are probably OK, but a group of 20 teenagers is probably not.
Sadly the police are not being sensible, even publishing drone footage of a couple walking way apart from anyone else, and suggesting somehow that was not allowed. Worrying times.
But then you get to some of the more complicated rules. In this case I am not so much pointing out loopholes, as highlighting some rather crazy drafting of the law.
Funerals
A gathering for a funeral is allowed. You can leave your home to attend a funeral, but only of a member of your household, a close family member, or a friend. However, you can only go to a fiend's funeral if there is not a member of the same household or close family attending. But it seems like if none of your household or close family attending the friends funeral rather than close family or same household as the friend, which is rather confusing. It looks like if two people in the same family or household know someone as a friend, only one of them can go to the funeral. This is almost the reverse of the gatherings rule where people have to be the same household - at a funeral they can't be the same household, if the deceased is a friend, but can if the decided is their family. Arrrg! How do you police that and why is that the rule? It makes no sense!It would have been far simpler to say funerals max 25 people or something simple and enforceable, but no, they have created convoluted rules.
But wait, it is not that simple. The convoluted rules only relate to leaving your home. It is the valid excuse to leave if to attend a funeral. If you leave your home to, say, exercise, you can then go to a funeral (an allowed gathering).
So it seems the only safe way to go to a friend's funeral is to wear a jogging outfit.
I can only hope none of us have to attend many funerals though - so please stay home and stay safe.
Yes the police response is strange. They seem to be getting different information from the rest of us. I read a report from Middlewich about travel to large open spaces to exercise being deemed "wrong" by the police. Link here https://bit.ly/2UOd521
ReplyDeleteQuite how wandering around thousands of square metres of open space is more of a risk than shopping in a confined area, beats my logic.
But this Covid brings out the worse and best of people.
There are conflicts even in the government's own "active" advice (eg the latest revision)
ReplyDeleteFAQ - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do/coronavirus-outbreak-faqs-what-you-can-and-cant-do
States in various ways that you can leave the house for essential tasks either alone or with members of your household only
Full Guidance - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others/full-guidance-on-staying-at-home-and-away-from-others
States in section three that gatherings of more than 2 people are not allowed _unless_ you're from the same household (or workplace). So the full guidance is saying that you can meet one person who is not from your household...!
While I agree many of the rules have holes, and I can empathise with the automatic reaction of finding the holes to exploit them, it's very much an IT pro way of thinking....
ReplyDeleteI feel like we should all be just minimising the amount we leave the house at all regardless of the rules, rather than trying to maximise the amount we're allowed out.
Rev i know you have a printer or two can you help https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52111522
ReplyDeleteLooking at the stats yesterday driving is up.. that's the result of that kind of heavy handed policing. People call BS and make their own interpretation. This whole thing relies on people buying into it being necessary and going after people miles from anywhere with drones isn't helping.
ReplyDelete