Cycling in the time of Corona

Fenton, this is your fault

Bad dog, bad

Not really: dogs off leads means more interaction between owners.

Edit: and more than just interaction between owners. The number of times dogs off leads have bounded up to me when I’m out walking with nephews and started licking them etc. One of my nephews is pretty scared of dogs (and even if he wasn’t he should be able to decide whether or not he wants someone else’s dog to rub his face on him). All of this leads to more social interaction (way more than solo cycling tbf) so it’s certainly logical to ban dogs off leads.

There's a lot more probabilities of a dog transmitting germs doing dog things in a park than me riding in a deserted road not interacting with anything. Or kids, they're as bad as dogs.
But ban cyclists, selfish lycra cunts.

The

most sensible post in this thread

Edited with a lot less sensitivity

Not really: dogs off leads means more interaction between owners

I just can't see it myself. We've been walking off lead for the last few weeks of the pandemic and haven't been within ten meters of another human being for the most part.

But it doesn't matter why they've banned off lead. Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake and I'll do what I can to do my bit. And part of that is observing the rules to not cause angst to others like your nephew.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/30/uk-police-guidelines-coronavirus-lockdown-enforcement-powers-following-criticism-lord-sumption

Hardly unusual though. Most police officers I've met have only a very hazy grasp of what the law is, and mostly just make it up as they go along.

Maybe they have been reading this thread.

Hundreds of thousands of lives are at stake and I'll do what I can to do my bit.

Now that’s the attitude.

Sure enough the interpretation of “doing my bit” can differ from person to person but you should cherish what you still have available to you as freedom of movement, use it wisely whilst you can. If that means you need to change your way of doing things a bit, suck it up and act accordingly. Be sensible.

Instead of pissing and moaning, you should feel lucky you’re still allowed to go out on the bike, that bicycle shops are still allowed to keep their doors open and that your government is actually promoting the fact to go out and exercise despite some restrictions they’ve put in place.

In other parts of the world those things we similarly took for granted, have been banned already.

I’ve left my house twice in the last three weeks based on the only reason we’re allowed to leave the house nowadays: groceries.

I lol'd.

Austria has mandated face masks while visiting supermarkets because people are increasingly concerned that C19 is more airborne than people previously thought.

I suspect that the UK will ban outside exercise if this turns out to be proven.

The Zwift/Peleton cabal is behind this. I'm calling it.

Sorry for back track but is there actually anything in place about dogs off leads?

EDIT: Found it

I just can't see it myself. We've been walking off lead for the last few weeks of the pandemic and haven't been within ten meters of another human being for the most part.

In that case, I'm sure you have your canine friend(s) very well trained. Thinking back to my childhood, my dogs were quite...spirited...and I frequently would be required to go and retrieve them whilst another owner did the same. There would have been no way to maintain an adequate distance in many instances.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/30/uk-police-guidelines-coronavirus-lockdown-enforcement-powers-following-criticism-lord-sumption

Police chiefs are drawing up new guidance warning forces not to overreach their lockdown enforcement powers after withering criticism of controversial tactics to stop the spread of coronavirus, the Guardian has learned.

...

It will state that while certain actions such as driving to exercise may be unwise, they are not prohibited by the emergency powers, according to sources with knowledge of detailed discussions. It is also expected to conclude the law does not restrict people to exercising outside only once a day.

Austria has mandated face masks while visiting supermarkets because people are increasingly concerned that C19 is more airborne than people previously thought.

How....how does this even work? Are they shuffling around in respirators?

Instead of pissing and moaning, you should feel lucky you’re still allowed to go out on the bike, that bicycle shops are still allowed to keep their doors open and that your government is actually promoting the fact to go out and exercise despite some restrictions they’ve put in place.

How exactly is this supposed to work? Either the current law is what is needed, in which case anything more would be an overreach of power, or it isn't, in which case that should be adjusted based on evidence.

In any case, no, thank you, I will not 'feel lucky' that I'm still allowed to go outside at all. This is one of the more basic rights a person usually has. FUCK this narrative of us suddenly having to be grateful for the government not to take away all our rights just because.

Today's long read seems super relevant to the discussion in this thread and the different viewpoints people are expressing scaled up to a macro scale
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/m­ar/31/how-will-the-world-emerge-from-the­-coronavirus-crisis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5arZGgyGSc

I think it's more that the mask acts as as barrier for infected people's vapours getting into the air rather than protection for uninfected folk

There is no “just because” reason in this situation. The simple fact is that people are spreading a virus if you don’t put certain limitations in place for a period of time.

When I refer to “feel lucky” it’s because I’m comparing the situation in the UK with my own situation here in Italy. You’ll appreciate the fact of being able to go outside when you please (even with restrictions in place) a lot more when that possibility is taken away from you.

Every household has now been issued one face mask per post in case you need to get groceries / go the pharmacy.

Regarding the Austrian mandating of masks in supermarkets thing ...

If it’s airborne filtering masks won’t be a barrier to that, though they may redirect air.

So the reasoning is weird. I think that’s what @Howard is commenting on?

Always ban dogs off leads!