MX-5 weekend drive counts as exercise, same as a motorcycle?

[bruce]

Ahem, as I was saying........ I am proven correct.
It is common-sense. They are asking you not to go out unless for one of the four reasons. Going for a drive/ride clearly does not even come close to that criteria.

[Rocky]

Thanks for the Frank Chung article on the ABC news site, ML.
In the article the QLD Police Commissioner is attributed as saying in part : "Disappointingly, although we have given a lot of messaging around this, people are still disregarding and blatantly disregarding the rules," Ms Carroll said.
This is the FIRST time I have heard anything to the effect that it is illegal to go for a drive in QLD and I wonder if the above quote is out of context and refers more to other previous utterances by the Police about congregating in groups in public places, which is what I HAVE heard her saying previously (and of course the Rochedale "car rally" got a mention with good reason).
In any case hopefully this will become clearer in due course.
There is also the point that Rules that maybe make some sense in densely populated areas like cities don't necessarily make any sense in other places where populations are not so dense. For e.g. there have never been any queues at the local Centrelink Office here. No significant numbers on the beach or in parks. Road traffic is about normal. Lots of tradies out on the roads. No queues at supermarkets. The difference in the shopping centres is the hospitality trade - food courts and cafes aren't open so people just shop and leave.
My wife and I still walk for an hour every morning and I will keep doing that until they drag me off in handcuffs and leg-irons.

[Mr Morlock]

Stupid i.e. rules that dont stack up on logic will cause a lot of friction in the community. The case of the 17 yo L driver made no sense- in a car with a family member no risk and good that the traffic is going to be lighter furthermore it has been picked up by the authorities and it will almost certainly be overturned. Many people do their own shopping and they drive cars i.e. they go for a drive to Coles or Bunnings and they also go to service stations which are still open and essential . Also mechanics are still repairing cars so how do you get a car to them? Rocky is spot on- a spin in his car probably on very quiet roads represents no risk to the community and filling up with petrol is 100% ok. I have not seen any figures but I do know that trains and trams and buses are almost passenger free and those folks that are working are more likely to be in their cars - there are plenty on the roads in my area. As far as walking is concerned I have never seen so many dogs on leads and kids in prams around the neighbourhood - and thats ok because we keep a distance.
Someone said Victoria has clear messaging- well not exactly - they are making things up on the trot- look up the "bonking rule" which was quickly reversed because it was dumb.

[Red_Bullet]

oops, triple post. Forum is being weird.

[Red_Bullet]

Yep, they are making it up on the fly. I do understand why they have decreed that cars should only be dríven for a valid reason. Around Brisbane for instance I could go for a drive to a regional area like Esk or Boonah in my MX-5. Needing fuel, coffee and a pie I stop and buy those items, infect people then sit in the local park and eat the pie and drink the coffee. Unknowingly I'm an asymptomatic carrier of the virus. I've now brought it into a community that wasn't previously exposed.

So as seems to be the clear messaging coming out of Victoria, STAY HOME.

It won't be forever and it's a matter of slowing the spread of the virus by any means possible. It's a shame that the country has an inadequate supply of masks, otherwise we would all be wearing them when shopping. Of course in hindsight it will be possible to say they should have done this, they should have done that. What will be clear is that they should have had a very clear pandemic management plan from the outset.

I have no idea why you can still get a haircut, that one is beyond my ability to understand, unless they figure it could be 6 months and we'll all be looking decidedly scruffy by then. Last think you need is scruffy looking sick people, bad for morale. Polish your shoes too, you've got nothing else to do!

[Red_Bullet]

Sorry folks, triple post.

[project.r.racing]

Rocky. The rule is very clear.

The rule isnt 'dont not drive for car for fun.'

The rule is 'do not leave your house unless you need to.'

Some responses in this thread have already highlighted the 'needed' possibilities.

[ManiacLachy]

Agree, the rule is: Don't leave your house unless you have to.

But the purpose of the rule is to avoid coming into contact with people. Going for a drive from point A back to point A runs far less risk of contact than going to the shops or out for exercise.

I understand why they need to be harsh though, and still think we've just got to suck it up and stay home. If they give an inch we, as a whole, will take a mile.

[Red_Bullet]

Harsh? No, not yet. No military on the streets yet with machine guns. Common enough in Europe before this pandemic, that's how they were dealing with terrorist risk last year when I was there. They were low key, but they were there on the edges of public places. We haven't seen anything here yet. In a "state of emergency" anything is possible.

[Nevyn72]

The NSW Premier now suggests the social distancing rules will remain in force until a vaccine is released......

For those unaware, the forecast is 12 to 18 months for that!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-07/ ... y/12126802

[Rocky]

I understand what others are saying. In emergencies, 'Rules' tend to get reduced to the basics - "Don't leave the house" rather than the rational "Don't make contact with anyone outside of those with whom you reside".
As RB implies, you've lost the average punter after the first 5 words and he's off having a pie and a coffee on the park bench before you can say "ventilator".
That said, things are being done differently (and enforced differently) everywhere at the moment.
As at 6 April, we have 8 cases in the Central Queensland Region, up 2 from March 30. Mackay Region 300 klms to the north have 12. All of ours were traced to returning travellers who landed while the government procrastinated.
That statement by the NSW Premier reflects very poor judgment (no surprises there) as it is early days and way too soon to be discomforting people with dodgy predictions like that.

[KevGoat]

That statement by the NSW Premier is a good example of exactly what not to do in a crisis! The media doesn't help either by mostly reporting worst case scenarios, accumulated figures but never the active infections, numbers of deaths but never the numbers of recovered. There's been a lot of panic, over reactions and over compensations from leaders who have appeared shell shocked rather than in control, using too many cliches and mixed messaging, not the straight forward strongly defined statements needed.

I like to hope there will be many lessons learned and changes made to many facets of leadership, industry, economy and society from all this. My cynicism sets me straight.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[bruce]

If people keep making up their own rules it will lead to TOTAL LOCKDOWN. No need to interpret anything then.

[Rocky]

Bruce, when 'rules' are ambiguous, constantly being issued and recinded, and just plain irrational, you get people just following their own instincts.
There are too many government sources all going off half-cocked with too little coordination between the players. They will eventually get themselves sorted but in the meantime it is minor chaos.
There cannot be "total lockdown" or it will be like Italy with people starving in their homes. That's a short road to civil disobedience.

[bruce]

I'm sure a few weeks ago people were saying you can't close businesses and it happened.
If I can understand the rules why can't others? If enough people decide to ignore the rules it will result in a more severe lockdown. Look overseas.
It is like banging your head against a brickwall sometimes.