Updated: Health secretary says no plans to ban cycling and other exercise - after suggesting earlier that it might be

Kier Starmer oozes integrity and a desire to do the right thing. Not easy to accomplish  in politics, as Tony Blair found - G W Bush wants to kick some Middle Eastern ass - do you side-step/ stay out of it, join in, or publicly criticise and resist?  Each choice will have consequences and will be judged, with hindsight dialled-up to 11.  Starmer can't get to no 10 quick enough in my view, but he's got the same Hill to climb as Blair and Co did to get the Labour Party to return from "away with the fairies" to electoral credibility and government material.

I wouldn't get too conspiratorial about the government's response to COVID, viz 10 years of austerity.  We all hope various lessons have been learned and that maybe some things won't eventually bungee back to how they were, according to our own preferences.  
Boris and co had already announced reversals of a lot of the past austerity - unfortunately including a lot of road building that with luck we're going to find isn't needed and of course zippo for cycling.
Get well soon Boris, btw. 
One of the hindsight questions for me is whether we should have really acted a lot sooner than 23 March. It's human nature to deny, to bargain, rather than fully accept. As a political leader, you have to grapple with the public mood and the possibility that you're seen as over-reacting. I don't normally go in for the close the borders stuff,  but that's what comes out of this for me - it was evident in late February that this thing was quite deadly, highly contagious and kept itself concealed for several days. I hope we get an effective vaccine very soon so we can avoid  "Welcome (back) to Britain - this coach will take you to the quarantine centre." 

thank goodness for cycling's many health benefits that are keeping the ban wolf from the door. You're not going to pass it on solo on a country road and my sense, based on very little science is that fresh air is a good place to be.  Are CUK and BC pushing back against the iffy peloton photos?
We've made ourselves in to curtain-twitching Facebook posting tell-tales, where this has happened, with very little help from the government.  But We've been raging on here for yonks against our 4 wheeled bete noirs - do any of them listen? Has the Audi owner's club reached out the hand of friendship to CUK or BC because they recognise themselves on a CPotD post?  
Whatever happens in terms of emergencies nearly always impinges on society's most vulnerable the most. True, a few people don't seem to get it, don't think it includes them and their actions are going to mean the lockdown is longer,  possibly stricter,  the risk of spread increased,  and the hard work of so many in hospitals undermined. 

Speeding drivers now being let off by overstretched police

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/speeding-drivers-let-off-by-overstretched-police-0zg0xrtk5

The adage 'speed kills' has been replaced with 'cyclists - when they're not spreading covid-19 to everyone they pass they're falling off and taking up our NHS beds'.

Meanwhile, PC Paul Brown was recently let off for driving at 101mph in a 30, running 4 red lights, drove at 122mph on the A11, went round a roundabout the wrong side - 16 seperate charges.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-7993475/Former-Det-Chief-Superintendent-Kevin-Hurley-let-policeman-speeding-101mph.html

Really relieved to hear this. A short ride after work has been a great chance to reduce the stress of the current situation. Have still seen a fair few people cycling in groups (not families etc) which is disappointing. I have a decent zwift setup but it's really not the same.  
 

Stay safe everyone and let's hope we can beat this thing soon. 

Is this all media driven; "oh look Govt, people aren't following your rules".  Govt responds by saying they might tighten things up.  Police appear a bit 'heavy-handed' in enforcing the rules and the media are all "we're turning into a police state" so they back off.  BBC this morning, "wouldn't it be unfair to to force people to stay in their tiny flats?"  They're all at it; not just the Daily Mail.

Ref cycling through parks; cutting down a section of bike path 2 weeks ago I worked out that it was a bit 'congested' (ie failed social distancing rules) with walkers, cyclists and joggers so have avoided parks and bike paths since.  Doesn't matter as the busy roads that the paths help you avoid are now quiet.  Leave the paths and parks to families.

my assumption is the decisions already been taken,those Sunday talk show things are always about gently nudging policy decisions out into the public realm and it will be put in place before the Easter weekend,which theyve consistently said they expect to be the peak of the virus.

It will probably be framed as a we are all in this together thing, but is a means to curb the non exercising public deciding to pop out for a family drive to the coast as theyve seen their neighbour happily jumping on a bike or going for a run every day,so whats the harm for them going for a small drive, as Im assuming the schools are now properly shutdown for the next two weeks,and plenty of people who were wfh,had booked leave to coincide with Easter, so lots of people with nothing to do and the weather is supposed to be nice and warm, for a change.

Still pillocks on my strava feed going out for 100 milers ...

Went out this afternoon. All seemed good except for the group of men trying to take advantage of favourable winds to set new PRs on the Hillingdon cycle circuit. Wasn't in the mood to get into a fight with a bunch of knuckle draggers so left them to it. Here's hoping they all get punctures on the way home. 

“To the very small minority who are continuing to flout the guidance"

As far as I can tell, locally and nationall virtually everyone is behaving properly so why punish the whole population rob all of us of the ability to go outside for a walk or cycle ride?

It's disproportionate, unjustified and won't address the problem.

If there was a very small minority of youths stealing from stores they wouldn't ban all under 18s from ever entering any shops.

If there was a very small minority of people speeding and putting lives at risk they wouldn't ban all cars from the roads. We are very sure of this because a significant number of drivers already race around with f**k all consideration for others, and it has got worse during the lockdown.

Anger and resentment doesn't quite do justice to my reaction to this threat.

I'm inclined to agree with handlebarcam and billymansell, this government has shown a lack of leadership and co-ordination in this crisis. They want to blame 'the little people'. It's worth listening to the video that Rupert Read published during the week. This is a 47 second clip, the full 7 minutes is linked in the tweet and IMO worth a watch/listen:

https://twitter.com/GreenRupertRead/status/1246535580290297860

I've seen lots of rumours of groups of people exercising, but with the exception of the misleading DM picture, I've seen no evidence.  If they ban exercising it will be just to pretend that it's all our fault and the government have done everything they can, when really it's their fault and their utter failure to take timely action.

"Let's not let the minority spoil it for everybody" - but the conservative party has had a good go at it over the last few years, hasn't it?

"Hancock added: “We are crystal clear in the guidance what people should or shouldn't do," he stressed."

That would be the same Hancock, Secretary of State for Health, who ignored the WHO guidance about quarantining himself for 14 days so that he could open a covid 19 hospital?

Is there a single competent person in this ultra-shambles of a government?