Cars are a tricky thing, because you're going from your sealed home unit to your sealed vehicle unit so it's logically an extension of home – arguably a safer means, contagion-wise, of running essential errands than if everyone walked and was passing each other on the sidewalk (especially in LA where if you step off the sidewalk for distance's sake you risk death; here that's not such a problem). In Europe you CAN do your essentials on foot; in California there's always going to be a fair amount of traffic on the road even when people are doing the bare minimum, because even the bare minimum involves a significant amount of driving. Add to that essential workers who still need to commute, suppliers for the supermarkets and pharmacies, veg box and takeaway and Amazon delivery drivers, and yeah ... lots of cars. But not necessarily a lot of social mixing. The trouble comes when those cars are taking people from a place of seclusion to one with other people! Hence the UK gov't getting really upset about everyone driving out to nature spots with 10,000 other people who had the same idea.
I hope they gave you enough warning of the new rules to let you stock up! Or were they counting on everyone having panic-shopped already?
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branchandroot
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Date: 2020-04-07 07:58 am (UTC)Cars are a tricky thing, because you're going from your sealed home unit to your sealed vehicle unit so it's logically an extension of home – arguably a safer means, contagion-wise, of running essential errands than if everyone walked and was passing each other on the sidewalk (especially in LA where if you step off the sidewalk for distance's sake you risk death; here that's not such a problem). In Europe you CAN do your essentials on foot; in California there's always going to be a fair amount of traffic on the road even when people are doing the bare minimum, because even the bare minimum involves a significant amount of driving. Add to that essential workers who still need to commute, suppliers for the supermarkets and pharmacies, veg box and takeaway and Amazon delivery drivers, and yeah ... lots of cars. But not necessarily a lot of social mixing. The trouble comes when those cars are taking people from a place of seclusion to one with other people! Hence the UK gov't getting really upset about everyone driving out to nature spots with 10,000 other people who had the same idea.
I hope they gave you enough warning of the new rules to let you stock up! Or were they counting on everyone having panic-shopped already?