In the midst of the coronavirus lockdown, police in the UK have warned people not to get in their cars to drive to a location to walk their dogs or exercise.
The UK announced a nationwide lockdown on Monday to fight the spread of the coronavirus. It said that people were allowed to leave their houses for for only a few necessary reasons including one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household. This does include dogs.
Police are now making it clear that exercise has to be done close to home and people are not allowed to drive to another location for walking their dog.
Meanwhile, Avon and Somerset Police have been handing out information after stopping drivers at popular dog-walking spots.
It reads: “The government restrictions currently in place do not permit you to use your vehicle to travel to this location to exercise. Each and every one of us has been instructed to avoid all unnecessary travel.”
The Guardian also reports that police are now using drone cameras and roadblocks to enforce the nationwide lockdown.
The lockdown rules for dogs specify that dogs must be walked only once per day. Dog walkers will also need to stay at least two meters away from any other dog walkers or members of the public they encounter, as part of the social distancing measures.
Those who fail to adhere to the rules face fines.
The UK government said it will look at the lockdown rules again in three weeks.
