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Boris Johnson Coronavirus addressPrime Minister says cycling allowed for exercise - but only alone or with members of household; bike shops to remain open
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has this evening put the United Kingdom into lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic ,with people told to stay at home, with a handful of exceptions - one being that they can undertake one form of exercise a day, including cycling, provided they do so alone or with members of their household. Meanwhile, bike shops are among the essential retailers permitted to continue trading.
He said that people would be permitted to carry out “One form of exercise a day – for example, walk, run or cycle – but on your own or with members of your household.”
People will also be able to leave their homes for shopping for basic necessities, for any medical need or to care for a vulnerable person, or travelling to and from work but only if absolutely necessary, eg the work cannot be undertaken from home.
The measures, taken to try an stop the spread of the virus between households and ease pressure on the NHS, will initially be in force for three weeks before being reviewed, and the Prime Minister has said this evening that the police will have the power to enforce them.
While supermarkets and chemists are permitted to remain open, retailers selling non-essential goods will have to shut, the examples he gave were "clothing and electronic stores."
But, perhaps recognising the importance of bikes not only as a means of undertaking exercise but also getting to shops or work during this unprecedented crisis, and the importance of repair and maintenance, bicycle shops are among the retailers excluded from that requirement and will be allowed to continue to trade.
Please join me for an important update on #coronavirus #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/QSlIOIaYsF
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) March 23, 2020
The new rules come in as the number of cases diagnosed in the UK have risen to 6,650, with 335 people having died to date – respectively, the 10th and 7th highest in the world.
They follow a weekend in which there was widespread media coverage of people, including cyclists on group rides, widely ignoring social distancing requirements to keep 2 metres apart from others.
Many – including, it has been reported, government ministers – reacted with shock and anger to images of people treating the first warm weekend of the year as though it were a bank holiday, with beauty spots, seaside resorts and parks in London all seeing what in many places were described as unprecedented crowds.
That followed a Friday night when many pubs the length and breadth of the country were packed after Johnson had announced earlier in the day that they would be required to shut that evening, along with restaurants and cafés.
While the Prime Minister did not stipulate how lthis evening how long exercise should last for, on social media many are urging fellow cyclists to ride in moderation, to ride on their own or with people with whom they live, in line with the government’s latest stipulation.
Others go further and say that is staying at home and not becoming a potential spreader of the virus or, in the event of a crash, require hospital treatment, outweighs the individual’s choice, as it currently stands, to go out on their bike.
And while cyclists may be allowed to go out for a ride for exercise at the moment, it’s not too much of a stretch to predict that should images appear showing some cyclists ignoring government guidelines and continuing to ride in groups, it may be banned altogether – as it has been in a number of European countries in the past week or two.
Without concrete guidance from the government regarding the duration of exercise, it's an individual matter for now.
With reports from the continent about police officers stopping cyclists even before full bans came in, however, one thing to consider might be how you would explain yourself if you were, say halfway through a ride and a couple of hours from home – and what their reaction to that might be.
We will be updating the article we published on Sunday, How to cycle responsibly in a time of pandemic, to reflect the latest situation.
In response to this evening's statement, the charity Cycling UK updated its advice to riders, including that "Under no circumstance should you cycle or take part in any cycling activity in groups."
Here is their reaction in full:
Following the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s address to the nation announcing strict new curbs on life in the UK, Cycling UK has updated its advice on cycling.
Although people are now being told to stay at home during the pandemic, one form of exercise is allowed a day.
This means it remains advisable for people to cycle for their health, fitness and well-being, but in line with our previous guidance, you should only do this alone or with members of your household unless any of them have reason to self-isolate.
Under no circumstance should you cycle or take part in any cycling activity in groups.
This is critical to stop the coronavirus disease spreading between households.
We are also advising that anyone who needs to travel to work if it’s absolutely necessary should consider cycling to avoid using public transport, where possible.
Cycling should also be considered as the best means of transport when essential shopping for food for medicines
The guidance for avoiding contamination remains unchanged, keeping at least two metres away from anyone else, regularly washing your hands and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues and throwing them away immediately. See further advice on the NHS website.
We will continue to evaluate the latest advice from Government and update our guidance accordingly.
Earlier in the day, and prior to the Prime Minister’s statement and the subsequent confirmation of which retailers would be allowed to continue trading, the charity had set out its case for why bike shops should be considered essential and not be forced to close. Its head of campaigns, Duncan Dollimore, said:
Cycling UK fully appreciates the urgent public health crisis presented by coronavirus, that this is a fast moving situation, and that the UK Government are having to make difficult decisions at pace about whether businesses, facilities and public places can remain open and if so subject to what conditions.
Presumably, some businesses and facilities will remain open however, as nurses, care home workers and essential workers will still have to travel to and from work. The rest of us will occasionally still need to collect food and medicines either for ourselves or for others who are unable to do so.
Cycling those essential journeys rather than jumping on a bus or crowded tube allows people to comply with the social distancing guidance, but still complete those critical journeys.
Bicycle shops play a key role in enabling people to do this, so Cycling UK would urge the Government to bear in mind the benefits of allowing bike shops to remain open when considering which business have to close and which can remain open.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- biking59boomer 7 min 29 sec ago
It would be more educational to give them a fine. They wouldn't forget that in a hurry.
- Rendel Harris 16 min 22 sec ago
Interesting article but it does in fact seem to prove that coaster brakes indeed aren't suited for descents: "the bikes’ antiquated hub coaster...
- headingley 20 min 3 sec ago
Here in Leeds the fantastic network of city centre protected cycle lanes are annually partly blocked by the Christmas Market. I can only guess what...
- AidanR 1 hour 43 min ago
You might be safer using one of these: https://yplac.co.uk/product/yplac-mini-stickers/
- quiff 4 hours 8 min ago
Fair point - I was restricting myself to pedal bikes. As I've never spent that kind of money on anything though (mortgage doesn't count), it's kind...
- brooksby 5 hours 10 min ago
And finally: I wonder how many of the "more than 3,000" signatures on that petition are actually locals, who live or work there (and are not just...
- Doug_D 6 hours 46 min ago
Another book suggestion - I can highly recommend "Lost Summers and Half-Forgotten Afternoons: A Mint Sauce collection" - a beautifully presented...
- mdavidford 8 hours 37 min ago
I think you're missing an opportunity to pack even more tech into it - add accelerometers that can detect whether they're pedalling or stepping....
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41 comments
Our town has an "open all the time" Cycle Park built by our local town cycling charity of which I am a trustee. It's basically a tarmac'ed path for kids to ride their bikes on. You'd think it was perfect for what Johnson is suggesting but the facbook keyboard warriors think it should be closed because it encourages "congregating". At what point do members of the British public take responsibility for their own actions and obviously not congregate??!? We built this to help people and all contact is easily avoidable as well as social distancing being easy to observed. We have decided to put signs up today to remind everyone.
Michael Gove gave some clarification today re last night's announcement. Exercise should be 'of "standard length" and no more than once a day'.
I've turned two 45 minute dog walks into one 90 minute effort. Ideally I'd go for 60 minutes with the dog and 30 on the bike, but obvs that isn't allowed. If I ever finish my dog basket project, I could combine both in some sort of hike-a-bike (standard) effort.
Once again, the UK public are asking to be spoon fed, with clarification down to minute detail of what is and is not "allowed". It's not a precise science, the message is ensure minimum contact, what more definition is needed? Why can't people think for themselves how to achieve minimum contact? Why do we need a government minister to explain what "stay away from people" means? Even that plonker from Sports Direct with his "does this apply to my shops?" doesn't get it.
Don't be a dickhead, don't get stopped by police 50 miles from home on that monster training ride. What is there to train for anyway?
Find a local loop close to home and ride laps/intervals. It's simply about maintaining fitness. And Strava will reveal the dickheads!
I need to get my mum an eBike. I sense a motor-pacing opportunity
Only here for comments saying that Boris is a liar/incompetent/murderer for following the advice of government scientists, just like any PM would.
I'm so glad you aren't disappointed, at least about Boris the Liar and his many faults. The fact that he is finally following the advice of people who are at least informed about the issues is great, even if it would have been better if he'd done it weeks ago.
I'm sure when you get the virus you'll be availing yourself of the NHS services, the stuff that Boris the Liar and his pals keep selling off to their mates so that they can make a profit off sick people.
Cycling with the family is great for me, I can beat all of them hands down!
Boris is a cyclist so he gets it. Looking forward to being on some much quieter roads exploring.
Far more traffic this morning than in the past few days. Let's see how the rest of the "lockdown" goes.
It seems us cyclists have been saved from the most draconian measures by other people being bigger, more obvious dickheads over the past few days. Don't ruin this second chance.
That said, clamping down on social interactions won't prevent tens of thousands of deaths alone. Something must be done to prevent supermarkets from being crazily busy, filled with vulnerable old people in the mornings, and with empty shelves in the evenings. And NHS staff need better protection equipment, or there won't be enough people to care for all the sick.
My supermarkets seem to be getting on top of things, there is stuff getting back on shelves. Things calming down, perhaps. People can only have so much food and toilet rolls. They will now have to learn to cook some of it. Some will be very bored of pasta in a few days.
I chatted to a motorbike deliveroo bloke on Sunday, at distance, he was not that busy, I think he and his fellows will become so, if restaurants are still open to prep the food.
The PPE thing for the medical staff (and the carers and undertakers) NEEDS to be sorted, if they start getting it (covid) in numbers then stuff will just shut down. They also seem to be more vulnerable than the general public to getting very ill, dosages perhaps. Hancock lacked all credibility and responsibility, seemed bereft of facts and information, and his photo op moving a single box of masks meant that real workers couldn't use the fork lift behind him to move the pallets of PPE stuff that is actually needed.
From a purely epidemiological interest, why is Italy so bad and Germany doing alright? Which path are we going to get to go down?
Italy was the first European country hit by the virus and was caught off guard before measures were taken. Their health service is now struggling (the NHS would have totally collapsed under the same weight). Testing has been done much more than in the UK, but still not extensively enough.
Germany reacted sooner, partly "thanks" to the Italian lesson, and carried out much more testing. So the mortality rate appears to be low because they count many more people as "cases". Also, people seem to understand what lockdown means and comply.
You are ill-informed, I'm afraid. The NHS is much more capable of dealing with the current pandemic than the Italian healthcare system, which is especially poor at primary care.
Your evidence is?
I'm not a link sharing bore. You'll research it yourself if you're interested.
Well, I am a link sharing bore! It seems that Germany has an extremely robust healthcare system, with the most beds per head of population in Europe. From the stats I've seen, the UK is not much different to Italy.
You have no evidence - simple as that really. If you did you would share it. (Are you one of those brexthickers - make stuff up)
https://www.ghsindex.org/
Here's the evidence.
Educate yourself.
The WHO publish a composite health index used as a measure of overall performance of the health services in member countries. Italy is number 2,behind France. UK is 18!
I only realised how bad the NHS is when I moved to France. But this is no disrespect to the staff of the NHS, UK pays a very low percentage of GDP into healthcare compared to others.
The UK ranked second for pandemic preparedness in 2019.
Considerably ahead of Italy.
https://www.ghsindex.org/
Indeed, but sadly, at that time based on a documented preparedness strategy of "allowing 66% of the population to become infected, thereby building up a herd immunity", a strategy which has since been debunked and a 180 executed.
Just looked at the ghsindex site. The score given for 'preparedness' is based upon having 'plans'. The plan referenced is from 2014 and contains a lot of 'discuss/inform/assist/support/engage/escalate' type actions, without really saying what that actually means.
There's a small nugget of a more definitive action plan, which was acted on late, and now proven to fall short of what is required.
Great point.
Completely untrue but great point nonetheless.
Hmm, an interesting definition of "alright", and as always, the devil is in the detail.
With regard to UK versus Italy, the data shows that the UK is around 4 weeks behind Italy in terms of growth of total cases, but the death rate in the UK is lower, most probably due to the fact that Italy has an older population. 23% of the Italian population is over 65, in the UK it is only 18%. So sadly, the UK is pretty much following Italy after adjustment for demographics.
With regard to your suggestion that Germany is "doing alright", again there is a story behind the figures. In fact 2 stories! The first reason is that Germany is doing much more testing than most other countries and as such has recorded more non-fatal cases. Germany has to date recorded 29,000 total cases, the UK only 6,600. So if you record more non-fatal cases, which in the UK remain untested, then clearly the percentage of fatal cases will be lower. The second reason is that it appears that in Germany the early growth phase was among young people, assumed to be due to attending February carnivals, and ski trips. As a result of both of the above, the average age of those testing positive in Germany is 47, and those in Italy 63. As we know, the death rate is higher among older people.
the trend in deaths and those those with the virus has declined for two consecutive days in Italy. So hopefully Italy has peaked.
The rate of increase has slowed, which is still good news, and hopefully the peak is in sight.
Thank you for the magnificent explanation, yes my question could have been put better, it was late and I needed to go to bed. The pandemic is awful, really awful, but as a molecular microbiologist, just too damn interesting.
I miss being at work and being able to ask experts questions, though when stuff get cleared I might get to go and produce viral proteins using systems that I am quite good at. I just want to be able to do some good. My proper job start date has been put back several months and there was meant to be some relevant work in that, ah well.
The problem with all these statistics is that differennt countries have different levels of testing so they fairly meaningless. The only statistic which indicates where any country is at is the number of deaths, and the UK rate of growth is following Italy almost exactly only 14 days behind. We had the advantage of seeing what was happening there and could have acted MUCH sooner but Boris chose not to.
Locking down sooner would probably have increased the number of deaths in the long term.
There is no vaccine for this virus and there will not be one for at least 18 months.
It will continue circulating in the community until we achieve herd immunity either through vaccination or infection.
Locking down early will just lead to another larger spike later in the year.
If that coincides with winter deaths will be far far higher.
The best case scenario now is a long relatively low level outbreak that doesn't overwhelm the NHS but does achieve herd immunity before the winter.
We would have been better off, in my opinion, locking down the vulnerable earlier and locking down the healthy population later.
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