Corona virus lockdown

[BeBe48]

Worst news has come into being. Lockdown!!

So, does our allotment time count as exercise??

It's well known the benefits of gardening, it has even be discussed as something to be prescribed.

What will happen now is anyone's guess. Fingers crossed we can continue while at the same time stayi g safe and keeping our distances.

Any thoughts?

[Nicos]

I would have thought it would be ok as its food production. Think you'll have to wait and see though.
Our lockdown conditions changed a couple of times over the first week...it's bound to be tweaked as things come to light.

[Small pumpkin]

You may want to look at this
https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ml#post1696508

[self-contained]

I would keep an eye on Sean James Cameron's blog and YouTube channel (which is well worth dipping into from time to time). He contacted DEFRA today to get some clarification/advice about allotments (the subject of his YouTube vlog this evening). I think there is a good chance he'll be in touch with them again and can hopefully relay that information to the wider allotment community.

[Voglen]

This lock down is to save lifes. I don't think any alotment produce is worth risking life of anyone.

By July it will all hopefully be gone, and there will be plenty of time for alotments.

[ameno]

This lock down is to save lifes. I don't think any alotment produce is worth risking life of anyone.

By July it will all hopefully be gone, and there will be plenty of time for alotments.

Yes, but you also have to get the risk in perspective.
If the only ones at the allotment are you and two others, and all three of you are on separate plots, some 20m or more apart, then there is no risk of spreading anything.
In that context, doing some work at the allotment is probably significantly less risky than, say, going for a jog in a nearby park, something which is explicitly still allowed.

As far as I can see, there is nothing in the new government guidelines which would ban the use of allotments (unless perhaps your particular allotment is a very busy one). However, local councils may choose to interpret things differently and close theirs, anyway.

[Voglen]

I'm not going to go for a jog in a park. Virus can live on surfaces for some time. If I am gardening on my plot and all my plot neighbours are there can be 4 people in less than 10m.If anyone sneeze and wind blow a viruses....

I think Anyone going out rather than buy food or medicine but to please themselves with jog or digging in allotment are risking other peoples lifes.

[Greenleaves]

Thats a very small plot then, lets remember its not a lockdown, being confined indoors is a lockdown

[Logunner]

One of the crazier parts of this is that I cannot cycle to my plot, then work on it before cycling back....

That is 3 exercise sessions in 1 day

[veggiechicken]

Maybe change the title?
We may need another one for a Lockdown in a little while, if people behave the way they did at the weekend.

[Plot12c]

Where my plot is you regularly have people grouped together having a cup of tea. And today was told by one of them when challenged, we are all going to get it anyway so I don’t care.

Unfortunately the minority will spoil it for everyone - but ultimately we want to stop the spread of this horrible virus and any measures that will help this have to be a good thing. We really do need to get this into perspective and I can see that they will be ban visits to the allotment. This can be spread so easily so need to take all precautions. Stay safe everyone and remember that contact with one person can spread this -that’s why I think they will ban you going to the plot. Would we really want it on our conscious if one of our fellow plot holders gets the virus for being at the allotment.

[self-contained]

Yes, but you also have to get the risk in perspective.
If the only ones at the allotment are you and two others, and all three of you are on separate plots, some 20m or more apart, then there is no risk of spreading anything.
In that context, doing some work at the allotment is probably significantly less risky than, say, going for a jog in a nearby park, something which is explicitly still allowed.

As far as I can see, there is nothing in the new government guidelines which would ban the use of allotments (unless perhaps your particular allotment is a very busy one). However, local councils may choose to interpret things differently and close theirs, anyway.

This is largely true, but you will have to be careful if there are any shared surfaces that you might touch, e.g. allotment gate/lock, water supply, etc. The virus can be transmitted via surfaces, and can survive on some surfaces for quite a while (though how long the surviving virus particles can still cause infections isn't known for sure). You also have to travel to and from your allotment - for many people that may be a short walk, which seems to fit with the permitted exercise excursion. Others might have to drive, which may mean contact with petrol pump handles and attendants unless they have a good petrol supply at home (or an electric car). And anyone who uses public transport to get to their allotment definitely shouldn't.

If all of those things are okay, the risk should be low. However, sometimes it is easier to get the public on board with absolutes, rather than shades of grey. "You must stay at home unless leaving is essential" is a simple message. Once you start adding caveats (as they have, with the allowance for exercise) then it's a lot easier for people to misinterpret (or deliberately ignore). That doesn't mean that we should just blindly accept more stringent limitations on our activities than is strictly necessary, but it's worth thinking about how the message plays to the average member of the general public.

[Voglen]

Thats a very small plot then, lets remember its not a lockdown, being confined indoors is a lockdown

Its standard size, rather longer than wider, people are moving, walking through paths to go in or out, acces to the shared tap, compost heaps.
And I think with that weather at this time of the year everyone is going to be there. Most plot holders comes with someone so that doubles or triples the amount of people.

[ameno]

I'm not going to go for a jog in a park. Virus can live on surfaces for some time. If I am gardening on my plot and all my plot neighbours are there can be 4 people in less than 10m.If anyone sneeze and wind blow a viruses....

I think Anyone going out rather than buy food or medicine but to please themselves with jog or digging in allotment are risking other peoples lifes.

Your allotment must be far smaller than most.
And going our for exercise is not only explicitly still allowed, but exercise and fresh air are vital to physical and mental well-being. One just needs to stay away from other people whilst doing it.

I also think you may have a rather exaggerated idea of just how easily this virus spreads. It sreads very easily compared to most illnesses, yes, but there are very much limits.
It can survive around two days max on hard surfaces, for example. But even if someone then touches that surface and gets it on their hands, they are not them immediately infected. It needs to enter the body through the nose, mouth or eyes. And if you have muddy hands, you are unlikely to go rubbing your eyes or picking your nose without first washing your hands.
Then there is its ability to spread through the air. It an only travel very short distances in the air. It is not lighter than air. It will drop out of the air pretty quickly.
And then there is the dissipation effect. Neither this nor any virus can infect someone just by one, or tens, or even hundreds of viruses getting into your body. Your immune system (even a weakened one) would kill such a tiny number immediately, before it got a foothold. To trigger an infection requires thousands is not tens of thousands of viral bodies to enter the body in a relatively short space of time. In outdoor spaces, even if an infected person does sneeze (I feel I should also point out coronavirus infection does not cause sneezing) the infected material would spread and dissipate in all directions, and (as long as you are observing proper distancing) by the time it actually reached anyone, assuming it even reached them at all, it would be too dilute to cause infection.

These new measures have been brought in not because the previous recommendations weren't sufficient (all scientific sources say 2 metres separation), but rather simply because so many people were simply ignoring the previous ones.

[Greenleaves]

The truth is we dont know, so I think it best we end this thread now before it gets ugly.