Parks and car parks will not close – as North Yorkshire Police seek to clarify lockdown exercise rules
Harrogate Borough Council said it had no plans to close any of its outdoor spaces but would continue to monitor the situation locally
Last updated 11th Jan 2021
Parks and car parks across the Harrogate district will not close as part of a clampdown on travel during lockdown, the council has confirmed.
Harrogate Borough Council said unlike some local authorities it had no plans to close any of its outdoor spaces but added it would continue to monitor the situation locally.
It comes after some councils in Wales, Lancashire and Essex closed off parks and car parks because of people flouting coronavirus restrictions by gathering in groups or travelling too far away from home for their daily exercise.
Under the national lockdown, people must stay at home and can go out only for limited reasons such as food shopping, exercise, or work if they cannot do so from home.
However, there has been some confusion around exactly what people can and can’t do for exercise, and North Yorkshire Police has since moved to clarify the issue.
“I understand the public’s need for clarity around this issue,” superintendent Mike Walker said.
“It is not reasonable or essential to travel lengthy distances to take daily exercise, when it can be taken from the doorstep. We do not expect people to be travelling multiple miles in a car to take their exercise in North Yorkshire.
“We all need to stop and consider the implications of our actions and question ourselves before we take a step out of our front doors.
“So before you pick up your car keys, get on your bike, put your trainers or walking boots on, ask yourself – do I need to make that journey? Is there a real need? Is it necessary? Can I change my route or my form of exercise to stay closer to home?
“If you can answer those questions honestly and with a clear conscience, then you are acting responsibly.”
Government guidance currently states that people can travel for exercise, permitting that they remain in their “local area”.
The government also said that the public must be “sensible” in where they go and that the distance travelled must be “justified”.
It comes as scientists advising the government have said lockdown measures need to be stricter to achieve the same impact as the March shutdown.
One professor said the current rules – which allow meeting one other person for daily exercise – were “still allowing a lot of activity which is spreading the virus”.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said he could not rule out strengthening current restrictions and that staying at home was the “most important thing we can do collectively as a society”.
A spokesman for Harrogate Borough Council also said: “The national restrictions are clear: people should not leave home unless they have good reason to.
“The science is unequivocal and shows interactions between people is the way the virus is being spread. We urge everyone across the district to restrict contact with people they do not live with as much as they can during this lockdown.”