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  • You are saying "risk isn't being minimised elsewhere, so why should I minimise risk myself?"

    That is not what I'm saying, in fact I specifically stated that "of course we want to mitigate risks". From a societal standpoint though, which is the one the government should take, it is about fighting the big sources of infection first.

    I'm just drawing attention to the fact that what a lot of people here consider to be a normal amount of exercise does not appear normal to others right now

    Honestly, that's the problem of those 'other people'. Also, how exactly are people judging how much exercise I'm doing when I'm out and about on my usual run? I'm not carrying a placard telling them which kilometre I'm on.

    Indeed, but the government does not have the resources to go through every activity and say [...]

    But I'm not asking them to. At all. I mean, all I'm really doing here is being frustrated and annoyed anyway, to be honest. But inasmuch as I'm trying to bring across any point, I'm just annoyed at how quickly some people support measures to curb a basic human right like going out for a walk or run or whatever, and how stupid that looks next to seemingly no measures being taken for the much bigger risks that still exist.

    And it's not me asking for special permission for that one special thing that only I want to do, it's really not. Getting out for some fresh air is a basic human requirement, that's why people are punished with imprisonment. And while I'm out, it really doesn't matter whether I'm walking, jogging, nordic walking, cycling, recumbent cycling, or walking backwards on my hands, as long as I keep away from others and don't do it in a group of people I don't live with.

  • From a societal standpoint though, which is the one the government should take, it is about fighting the big sources of infection first.

    So people were asked to work from home; schools were shut; restaurant, clubs and pubs were shut; and now other non-essential shops were shut and people have been asked to stay home if possible. How much more needs to be done before we stop think that it's just business as usual from a cycling perspective? Why can't we do our bit to minimise risk around cycling before everything else is sorted first?

    I'm just annoyed at how quickly some people support measures to curb a basic human right like going out for a walk or run or whatever,

    I don't think that anyone here is suggesting that we do that (I'm not), just that we contribute to minimising the risk as much as we can in a way that's compatible with maintaining our mental and physical health.

    And while I'm out, it really doesn't matter whether I'm walking, jogging, nordic walking, cycling, recumbent cycling, or walking backwards on my hands, as long as I keep away from others and don't do it in a group of people I don't live with.

    "Well it's all people I've seen recently isn't it? And we're not going to be hugging one another, and the kids have all probably had it already anyway, and we'll all have separate drinks, so it's not like anyone's going to be catching it at a barbecue is it? And we all need to get together now and then to keep our spirits up", @Aroogah's neighbor (probably).

  • How much more needs to be done before we stop think that it's just business as usual from a cycling perspective?

    Why should one of the most low-risk activities there is, along with walking and running and similar stuff, not be 'business as usual' for as long as possible? Is the goal here to create the maximum disruption possible?

    Why can't we do our bit to minimise risk around cycling before everything else is sorted first?

    We do. No one here advocated going on a big group ride and hanging out together at a cafe. In that sense, it's already not 'business as usual' at all.

    "Well it's all people I've seen recently isn't it? And we're not going to be hugging one another, and the kids have all probably had it already anyway, and we'll all have separate drinks, so it's not like anyone's going to be catching it at a barbecue is it? And we all need to get together now and then to keep our spirits up"

    Sorry, but no. That's just bullshit. There is a very big difference between going for a ride on your own, not touching anything but your bike, with a pretty considerable distance to any other human, and going to a fucking social gathering where you stand around in close proximity, possibly in a semi-enclosed area, and pass each other things.

    This is exactly what I meant earlier: Banning social gatherings is of course under normal circumstances a pretty big violation of people's normal rights, but it makes sense in this context as it is in fact a prime way of spreading the infection very quickly, and therefore a priority in terms of things that need to be addressed. That however does NOT mean we now need to ban everything you could possibly do immediately.

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