« Reply #17 on: Wednesday 30 December 20 08:55 GMT (UK) »
I'm not saying it's acceptable. I'm saying it's understandable. I'm not condoning it, but I do understand the desperation some people feel. If they are desperate to travel 200 miles to do something which may be benefical to their mental health that doesn't make them 'moron's'.
It is ILLEGAL for people to travel from Hertfordshire - a tier 4 county - to potentially spread infection to an area with much lower rates. The people from Hertfordshire (and I suspect many others were also from tier 4 areas) are blatantly breaking the law - it is a legal requirement to stay at home in a Tier 4 area except for a limited number of essential reasons. I cannot understand that to go 200 miles to a country area is beneficial for their mental health and therefore within the law. Exercise should be taken locally. Hertfordshire is NOT wall to wall tarmac, there is plenty of nice countryside here.
All through this pandemic the Government has given "advice" and issued " guidelines" hoping the public "would make up their own minds". A significant proportion have and they made up their minds that you could take or leave advice - it was only advice after all.
If people break rules and happen to get caught by the police, they have the rules explained to them - as if they didn't know them already by now - and are sent home. No action taken - free to repeat offend.
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