The government has moved today to ban outdoor sunbathing in parks and on beaches, claiming that leaving home during the coronavirus pandemic was not a ‘good’ excuse.
When one London council closed a park when witnessing thousands of people flocking to it to enjoy the sun and warm weather after a damp and cold winter, there was outrage at the weekend.
Lambeth said it wanted to close down Brockwell Park near Brixton after 3,000 people got off there to enjoy the warm weather.
Police forced residents on to Primrose Hill in northwest London and laws were often infringed on the south side, but government consensus is that the population generally obeys the laws.
Yet there was general uncertainty about whether lying down and enjoying the sunlight is appropriate since one-day exercise is condoned under the official guidelines.
Sunny, warmer-than-average temperatures are expected to start this week, with a high predicted for Wednesday and Thursday in southern England at about 75.2F (24C), the Met Office said.
This comes when England, Scotland and Wales recorded 434 more coronavirus-caused deaths, taking the number to 5,368 in the UK. The numbers are a sign of light and for the second day in a row, the average death toll has dropped.
Police forced residents over to Primrose Hill in northwest London and laws were even infringed on the south side, but policy opinion is that the public is mostly cooperative.
Popular controversy has emerged as to whether it is appropriate to lie down and appreciate the sunlight as the official rules allow one-day workout.
The official spokesperson for the Prime Minister said they were not intending to ban outdoor activity – as Health Secretary Matt Hancock indicated over the weekend.
Yet he added: ‘People will not be going to sunbathing parks or beaches. It runs contrary to our basic movement rules.
Popular controversy has emerged as to whether it is appropriate to lie down and appreciate the sunlight as the official rules allow one-day workout.
Brockwell Park reopened on Monday in southern London, and councilor Sonia Winifred said she thought the brief closing would mean that the message would be ‘crystal clear’ to those who flouted indicators of social isolation.
She said the local government was “working hard” to keep parks open through the crisis but emphasized that residents had to follow the rules.