Think outside the box

I'm compelled to write this because I really think that its even more important nowadays to think things through. I totally understand and comply to the covid rules....however after a year it does start to have a detrimental impact. If you dont run ( not great for some due to the impact on joints) and walking is not a cardio vascular challenge ...I was so happy to come across people exercising outdoors socially distancing and Having a great time. When I joined It was my lifeline and...clearly was also beneficial to all others in their 50s to get out and get fresh air whilst exercising. It's been wonderful for physical and psychological health. I spoke to one woman today who had said that she was suffering mentally earlier today and coming out to do aerobics was protective of her mental health which was now deteriorating following the long lockdown. It was such a shame to be met with 2 policemen before we had even started. Told to disband due to there being more than 2 people gathering. Someone had complained.... isnt it important that we think outside the box here. Exercise is so incredibly important but I find it so hard to motivate myself at home. I want to exercise outside and as I used to swim... I cant do that at present so aerobic exercise is such a great alternative.

It honestly was so therapeutic and we always kept 2 metres apart and NONE of us have contracted covid in the time we have been doing this. Please if anyone is tempted to report gatherings could you at least wait until you see it as unsafe..... the lack of exercise is having such a detrimental effect on us physically and mentally it may just mean we add to the burden on the NHS and the economy. If we listened to Boris we'd have booked our holidays for the summer and be spreading the virus further and wider. Instead I'm staying put.remaining in London..keeping my distance and staying safe. I would never put mine or other people's lives at risk. Let's use our common sense in these difficult times and not turn against each other. Please

bodsier Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I'm compelled to write this because I really think

> that its even more important nowadays to think

> things through. I totally understand and comply to

> the covid rules....however after a year it does

> start to have a detrimental impact. If you dont

> run ( not great for some due to the impact on

> joints) and walking is not a cardio vascular

> challenge ...I was so happy to come across people

> exercising outdoors socially distancing and Having

> a great time. When I joined It was my lifeline

> and...clearly was also beneficial to all others in

> their 50s to get out and get fresh air whilst

> exercising. It's been wonderful for physical and

> psychological health. I spoke to one woman today

> who had said that she was suffering mentally

> earlier today and coming out to do aerobics was

> protective of her mental health which was now

> deteriorating following the long lockdown. It was

> such a shame to be met with 2 policemen before we

> had even started. Told to disband due to there

> being more than 2 people gathering. Someone had

> complained.... isnt it important that we think

> outside the box here. Exercise is so incredibly

> important but I find it so hard to motivate myself

> at home. I want to exercise outside and as I used

> to swim... I cant do that at present so aerobic

> exercise is such a great alternative.

>

> It honestly was so therapeutic and we always kept

> 2 metres apart and NONE of us have contracted

> covid in the time we have been doing this. Please

> if anyone is tempted to report gatherings could

> you at least wait until you see it as unsafe.....

> the lack of exercise is having such a detrimental

> effect on us physically and mentally it may just

> mean we add to the burden on the NHS and the

> economy. If we listened to Boris we'd have booked

> our holidays for the summer and be spreading the

> virus further and wider. Instead I'm staying

> put.remaining in London..keeping my distance and

> staying safe. I would never put mine or other

> people's lives at risk. Let's use our common sense

> in these difficult times and not turn against each

> other. Please

When the police dont respond to this

https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?5,2114482

A man threatening a family and making obscene suggestions at a small child and then going to intimidate and strike terror into two young girls I find it hard to believe they actually tuned up to break up a socially distanced group of people exercising-especially when there were many people in groups in the parks eating picnics over the weekend.

@bodsier sorry to hear you were one of many who found lockdown hard. I get what you say about exercising outside. I have bad joints so walking is my exercise. I do some walk to YouTube videos but make a point of walking outside once a day as we are allowed as in the first lockdown I found that although I could do the steps walking indoors wasn?t the same. Even so I could feel the walk I did from near East Dulwich station to Ruskin Park the other week that I thought nothing of a year ago when I was walking to Denmark Hill station each week as I?ve been walking the back streets around Lordship Lane not up the hill.

You felt compelled to write, I feel I have to reply as I think what you wrote did put people?s lives at risk although you say ?I would never put mine or other people's lives at risk.?

You say ?I totally understand and comply to the covid rules...? but then go on to describe a situation when you weren?t.

It?s been a difficult time for lots of people for various reasons and hopefully one positive that will come out of this is that mental health is discussed more openly.

The rules don?t affect everyone the same and we might not agree with them all but they are clearer than they?ve been at times. From what you say you understand there were more of you than are currently allowed and you have your reasons but a few things for you to think about.

1 in 3 people who have the virus have no symptoms, so you or anyone in that group could be spreading it without knowing it. How would you feel if someone you know ended up with Covid and you had passed it on?

What about the policemen who told you to disperse? Any additional contact for them increases the risk they could catch Covid or pass it on. What about their families?

You are not the only one gathering. Some are simply ignoring the rules, some, like you, have reasons. Whatever gatherings are known to let the virus spread. The virus doesn?t think these people have a good reason to gather I won?t infect them. So we all have to do our bit. There is still some way to go but the numbers are going down.

It sounds like this wasn?t the first time you?ve met this group. How many of you met? How many other people have you each come into contact with in the time you?ve been meeting?

I totally agree with what you say about summer holidays. Just because you can do something doesn?t mean you should. People are still dying and needing hospital treatment in numbers that are coming down but still too high.

Opening up too soon led to another lockdown. After a year waiting until 29 March to meet isn?t too long. My husband won?t be able to see his family for his birthday (25 March) and last year we changed plans for his birthday 4 times as things changed and this year waited for the roadmap and now can make plans that are pretty much what they would have been. That?s where the country is at.

I get your reasons but your actions don?t just affect you. Maybe if people had stuck to the rules we could be further along on the way out of lockdown now and people would be able to meet up as you describe legally, children would be back in school and numbers dying or in hospital with Covid would be lower.

This is a very difficult time - with different sets of needs, each, taken singly, very compelling. Social isolation and mental health deterioration as a function of that are clearly dreadful, but so are (a) the actual effects of Covid-19 and (b) fears about catching Covid-19 - which also impacts mental health.

The police are caught between a rock and a hard place - intervening seems heavy handed, but not intervening causes those fearful and worried huge distress and even anger.

Ideally there would be places, fully marked out with social distancing limits, where groups could come together, in the open, to exercise communally and safely - but these don't exist, and aren't anyway licenced by the current government rules (and if they were would favour those living in leafy suburbs with 'free' parkland over those in crowded inner cities, which many would not see as 'fair' - I'm not sure I would!).

So I don't think there is a 'reasonable' course here which would satisfy all. What the police are reported as doing wasn't as heavy handed as it might have been - they could have legally fined participants (or at least the organiser) rather than asking them to move along - indeed it appears to have been well judged, given the legislation they are bound to abide by and administer.

Of course most reading this will have felt your pain - but then we've also felt the pain of those writing to complain about the actions of parents with children at a playground - and certainly children are really suffering from isolation at a time when they are meant to be building up social skills - which at least the OP will have had the opportunity to do many years ago.