Lockdown Confusion

[barry1010]

How far can I now drive for shopping? My butchers is a 30-40 mile round trip crossing two counties - can I do it?

[Sunk]

There is mo limit specified in the guidance.

[emmie]

don't think so, but then again who's to know.... will see who else pops up with info, like NJ>

[davebro]

I understand you are now allowed travel (in England) for exercise, so if you wanted to go for a walk at a particular place that involved driving there you would be allowed. Dunno about shopping.

[barry1010]

Maybe if I parked down the road from the butcher and walked to and from? My freezer is looking empty

[emmie]

mixed messages as usual, i can't find any up to date info either

[emmie]

is there no one nearer Barry...

[dave50]

Just do it.

[TonyV]

Don't know if is any help

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#summary-what-you-can-and-cannot-do-during-the-national-lockdown

[Sunk]

// The list of reasons you can leave your home and local area include, but are not limited to:

- to shop for basic necessities,

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home#when-you-can-leave-home

[barry1010]

Sunk, that's the confusion. There are plenty of butchers shops and supermarkets near me, so it is not essential I travel such a long way to buy meat but my preference.

[brainiac]

You're prepared to drive that far just to buy meat?

[bednobs]

nothing has changed regarding shopping, so it's as it always has been in this lockdown. I don't think you could call that mixed messaging

[barry1010]

brainiac, I know no other butcher closer that has his own herd of beef cattle and pigs, sells chitterlings, has a plentiful supply of game during the seasons, makes his own chawl and brawn and gives me a big discount of his top quality meat just because I've been loyal to him for 30 years or more.
His sausage is fantastic, too

[TonyV]

OK Barry if you feel the need carry on for your essential shopping.

[Ellipsis]

> His sausage is fantastic, too

Too much information ...

[drmorgans]

If you were unlucky enough to be stopped you would probably be given "words of advice" about shopping locally.

Could you not get your sausage mail order, would save a bit on fuel too?

[bobbinwales]

For exercise your suppose to saty in your local area (village, part of town) so driving there for a walk later is not an excuse but there looks to be no limit for shopping. People have been fined for driving 50 miles a for a takeaway cup of tea and there was the fines for people driving to a self service milk farm.
Its your risk. Hard to say its essential if there are other meat shops /butchers/farm shops much more local but its up to whoever stops you and your solicitor if you want to challange it.

[alavahalf]

Whatever the goverment advise (as in Lockdown where no unescessary travel is requested) is exactly that .. only advice. It is there to be ignored by all who choose to do so. You know you are breaking lockdown rules and you still wish to go ahead because you want to visit someone who could easily be avoided..
We have vacinnes now, its quite alright to put other people at risk by mixing with strangers.
Personally I would be to embarresed to have asked the question in the first place. It would seem that you dont understand.
Stay at Home .. Save Lives .. Protect the NHS !

[New Judge]

// The list of reasons you can leave your home and local area include, but are not limited to:

- to shop for basic necessities,//

Not unusually, the guidance is completely unaligned with the law (almost certainly deliberately to make the law seem more strict than it is). The words “necessities” or “essentials” are not particularly mentioned in the Covid legislation. You have to have a “reasonable excuse” to leave home and remain outside of it. Among the non-exhaustive list of reasonable excuses mentioned in the legislation is to buy goods and services from businesses that are allowed to open. You can buy anything that they sell and there is no restriction on how far you can travel to such premises. So, if your butcher is allowed to remain open (which I’m sure it is) and if that is where you usually shop then there is nothing unreasonable in your continuing to do so. All I would advise is if you are challenged, simply be polite and state the purpose of your journey, decline to pay any fixed penalty if it is offered and plead Not Guilty if (and that's a fairly big "if")the matter goes to court. Very few successful prosecutions have resulted from the Covid legislation where the matter has been challenged. Most people simply pay. But many of them shouldn’t because they are guilty of no offence.

[lankeela]

I'm with alavahalf!