Published on 12, July, 2020
I appreciate that the police are stopping people from driving to the park for a good reason - to prevent the spread of coronovirus. However, this leaves us with a problem of finding a safe place to let my 4 year old ASD son run around outside. We have a garden, but it would be good for his physical and mental well-being to exercise somewhere else for a change.
Normally we drive to a park he knows well, where it's safe to let him run around for ages. However, its 15 min drive away so we can't get there. So our only other option is to walk the streets with him, which is really not safe with a child prone to meltdowns and running off. He is also too big to go in the pushchair.
The thought of not being able to take him out is depressing.
Which country are you in? Rules in the UK specifically allow for essential travel and one daily walk for exercise provided it's away from other people/in unoccupied areas. Judging by their response when you asked for clarification I suspect the police in question didn't fully understand the rules themselves, but were unwilling to admit it. Maybe email local police stations to clarify properly?
Correction I've been looking into this the rule is police can disperse crowds and gatherings, and issue fines to people who refuse to disperse from crowds or gatherings after being ordered to do so.
The advice is to keep travel to essential shopping, essential work, and 1 walk for exercise preferably away from people or in unoccupied area. However advice is not law and police cannot enforce this.
Video Plastic posted on a similar thread is a great example, they seem to be doing this a lot so I can't realistically say it's a mistake anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP9VCGghzOg
I've not been following the news everyday and have been stuck home since late jan early feb so I didnt realise the police were doing this. Are there any footpath roots off the country roads you could take?