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Stay Home --> Stay Local

Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby Walkinmyfootsteps » Fri Apr 02, 2021 8:14 am

26th of April and it’s all back on. Unfortunately I am working that week but the following weekend I will be up in Kintail hoping to do eleven Munros that weekend.
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby gaffr » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:35 am

All seems fairly unclear to an aged retired person and still blessed with some fitness.
Living in the Highland local authority area and having strangely a Perth postcode it would seem, at a push, that the entire vast authority area is within reach for me although I have not been beyond Inverness, forty miles from my home, for more than a year now for exercise or for much else. Days out have been mainly using my bike off road and walking on some local hills.
Compared to what others within the smaller and some very small local areas have been putting up with for the same period of time. I would that I have had things easy. I hope that folks can get onto and enjoy the hills before the anticipated explosion coming our way from the South.
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby CommanderKeen » Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:37 pm

While it is unclear - the stay local thing is no longer law.

If you want to go for a walk - go for your walk.

There is no harm in heading out for some fresh air, even if you need to travel 40 miles.

Just avoid extremely busy places and you are fine.
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby gman » Thu Apr 08, 2021 2:06 pm

CommanderKeen wrote:While it is unclear - the stay local thing is no longer law.


Prepare for a shock :lol:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/344/schedule/5
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby CommanderKeen » Fri Apr 09, 2021 10:22 am

gman wrote:
CommanderKeen wrote:While it is unclear - the stay local thing is no longer law.


Prepare for a shock :lol:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/344/schedule/5


That's all well and good, but the thing you linked also states "Requirement to close places of worship in a level 4 area to members of the public".

We all know that not to be the case
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby gman » Fri Apr 09, 2021 11:25 am

CommanderKeen wrote:That's all well and good, but the thing you linked also states "Requirement to close places of worship in a level 4 area to members of the public".

We all know that not to be the case


Yes, the heading is still there but paragraph 1A below (which required them to close) was taken out last month.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2021/166/regulation/7/made
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby Scraggygoat » Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:25 pm

https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-travel-and-transport/

'Those who live in a Level 4 area:
- must, by law, remain within that area unless they have a reasonable excuse (see exceptions)
- should stay local and keep journeys within the area to a minimum.'

The exceptions for leaving a level 4 area include escaping injury, illness or harm. Consequently someone whom was suffering acute psychological problems that were alleviated by going up a hill could potentially go up a hill outwith of their own local authority area under the current restrictions, but would have to be prepared to argue their case before a court of law should it become necessary. Which is obviously a classic 'catch 22' as the stress of (or risk of) a court case would probably not be beneficial for such an individuals well-being.

The 'stay local' is a 'should' rather than a 'must' clause and therefore is guidance rather than law and if someone from Wick wanted to go to Ardnamurchan from my reading they could do that legally, but would be breaching the guidance. Consequently it is possible for the police if they stopped you a distance from home in your own LA for them to ask you to return home under the guidance, if you wanted to challenge them at that point as to the law it would be your own decision!

As for staying away from home overnight Mountaineering Scotland (see website in case its changed in the last few days) have said it is permissible to wild camp in your own LA, given how timid they have been hitherto its is unlikely they would have offered this interpretation if there was ambiguity.

Faith groups threaten the Scottish Government with a judicial review on the basis of closing places of worship was a fundamental breach of human rights, hence now they are open.

Unfortunately Mountaineering Scotland were/are too spineless and conflicted to do similar. Not wanting to jeopardise future Sport Scotland funding (are we to assume that is more important to them than members, and members mental and physical well being?), and possibly due to other conflicts of interest. In fact they have said that vociferous campaigning would not be in members interests!

So now we have the situation that 50 people can meet inside a church, presumable as 'the Lord will protect his flock', yet many of us can't even go up a hill, and Mountaineering Scotland have essentially said diddly squat.

Scientifically its been known for nearly a year that the risk of transmission is very, very low outdoors (apart from essentially mass gatherings), transmission is dominantly driven by indoor interactions, analysis of viral genomes from last summer showed that there were no significant transmission from tourists to the local Highland populations, the Local Authority Boundaries being used were never devised for the purposes of infection control, restrictions on civil liberties are meant to be proportionate to risk, and if you are prepared to threaten legal action to the Scot. Gov. exceptions will be made, or if you are a vote winner like hairdressers you will be exempt from the basics of indoor close proximity for a protracted period = bad.

Yet have we heard Mountaineering Scotland raising our cause about the arbitrary nature of the boundaries, the safety of being outdoors, the lack of transmission risk to local populations, the disproportionate nature of the restrictions versus risk etc?

While I am very annoyed at the Scot Gov. and Holyroods Members in Opposition for lack of critical thought and failure to understand and differentiate on the basis of the difference between outside and inside transmission risk, and can forgive Mountaineering Scotland for their approach through last springs lock-down (it was after all relatively uncharted territory), I am absolutely livid at their clear, apparent and deliberate failure to champion our cause through this current period. After all thats what they are there for, to represent us.

Are you feeling effectively represented - I for one am absolutely not?
May be a subject for another thread.
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby AyrshireAlps » Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:06 pm

Whilst I inititally* 'agreed' with the guidance seeing folks staying in their own local authorities, that church nonsense has just blown it right out the water. If folk wanna believe in fairy tales I'm all for it, but 50 folk indoors, and I'm not allowed to go to Arran, on my tod, to wander the ridges, and the ferry is 15 miles away? ********.

*Initially being right up until the holy wullies took that to court and won.
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby Flat Earther » Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:45 pm

Has the 26th been confirmed or is it still a "rumour" for lifting of the stay local.

And will it include lifting or the border restrictions for those south of Carlisle ?
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby jupe1407 » Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:05 pm

AyrshireAlps wrote:Whilst I inititally* 'agreed' with the guidance seeing folks staying in their own local authorities, that church nonsense has just blown it right out the water. If folk wanna believe in fairy tales I'm all for it, but 50 folk indoors, and I'm not allowed to go to Arran, on my tod, to wander the ridges, and the ferry is 15 miles away? ********.

*Initially being right up until the holy wullies took that to court and won.


Agreed. It's actually mental when you think that going to a big building to hang out with another 49 people to worship a fictional being is absolutely fine, but I shouldn't going to visit my elderly parents despite us all having been vaccinated is ridiculous.

I have been largely on board with the guidance, but anything short of major lifting of restrictions on the 26th will be unacceptable. ALL of the relevant metrics point to the vaccines working very well and we've almost jagged all of the vulnerable categories.
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Re: Stay Home --> Stay Local

Postby denfinella » Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:54 pm

Travel now permitted across Scotland from Friday (10 days earlier than planned) - see dedicated thread. To / from rest of UK probably allowed from the 26th.
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