Fishing Announcement

[Hylander]

Saw this elsewhere...  Sorry if already posted.     Remove if necessary please Mods.

 

STATEMENT FROM THE ANGLING TRUST ON THE NATIONAL LOCKDOWN RULES IN ENGLAND

The regulations have now been published and confirm this evening’s message from the Cabinet Office that the Government have taken the decision that fishing will not be permitted during this national lockdown period. Whilst this is disappointing news I would ask anglers, fisheries and clubs to respect these rules and the reason they have been put in place; to help save lives and support the NHS.

Individuals should not go fishing from midnight tonight (5th Jan) and clubs and fisheries should close their waters to anglers. We will be publishing more detailed guidance on specific areas like bailiffing and fishery maintenance once the Government regulations have been published.

Over past few weeks we have been in communication with the Government at the highest possible level. We have presented a strong case on how fishing could continue safely during the third national lockdown. We have explained that fishing benefits physical health and mental wellbeing and that it is regularly the only form of activity individuals undertake. You can read our representations to Cabinet Ministers here -

https://anglingtrust.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Angling-and-outdoor-recreation-in-COVID-lockdown-3_DCMS.pdf

My team and I have consistently presented the arguments ahead of the changing government guidelines, which have allowed fishing to remain permitted continuously since the first national lockdown was lifted in May. We have been successful when other sports have not as all anglers will know.

However, with 60,000 new infections announced today the Government have taken the decision that leaving home for recreation or leisure, including all forms of recreational fishing, should be prohibited in England during this third national lockdown period.

I thank you for your support and for being a credit to our sport. As members, you can rest assured that the Angling Trust will continue to represent our sport at the highest level and will present proposals for the resumption of angling when it is safe and sensible to do so.  We will come through this period of national crisis. We will fish again, but until then, please, stay safe.

Jamie Cook - CEO Angling Trust
 

 

 

[JennyMorgan]

The message is clear, stay at home! 

Responsible action by the Angling Trust.

[Meantime]

25 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

The message is clear, stay at home! 

Responsible action by the Angling Trust.

Responsible action by the Angling Trust, or by the Government? the Angling Trust are just repeating / clarifying the words of the Government. Next we'll have the BA come along with their interpretation of the Governments legislation. Perhaps people should look to the Government website for what they can and cannot do and leave the other bodies to get on with what they should be doing!

[JennyMorgan]

Yes, responsible action by the Angling Trust. The Trust is here to act on behalf of its members, which is clearly what it is doing. In this case it is also banging home the Government's message as I'm sure the BA will also do.

Anglers, as well a boaters, need to look beyond their own interests. Us anglers need to realize that hanging up our rods for a while is nothing, indeed less than nothing, when compared with the life changing pressure being forced upon front line NHS staff & their families. I have a daughter who is pharmacist in a local hospital, her life is in a frazzle, she could so easily take the easy option and isolate but she doesn't, she sees that risking the lives of herself and her young family as being her duty. She's now working six days a week, often a twelve hour day, comes home both physically and mentally exhausted. Both my wife and I are shielding so she won't let us help with her two young boys, at least not until we have had our jabs. Talking of which my daughter is also training folk to handle the vaccines and to inoculate, that is on top of her duties on the wards.  The pressure is constant and immense. So we can't go fishing or play on our boats . . . . . . . . . 

[grendel]

its clear, leaving home for recreation is specifically mentioned in the government release as not allowed, exercise or essential only, angling is hardly exercise, so as such cannot be done. unless you are lucky enough to have the stream, pond or river on your property.

[Hylander]

5 minutes ago, grendel said:

 unless you are lucky enough to have the stream, pond or river on your property.

Well if you have ,  well done and you are still obeying the rules.   My son fishes on the International scene and has had matches cancelled all over this year but has still managed to fish in a lake occasionally, he will not be a happy chappy but finally, finally may be , God help us, just may be the penny may have dropped that this is a killer.

[Meantime]

9 minutes ago, grendel said:

its clear, leaving home for recreation is specifically mentioned in the government release as not allowed, exercise or essential only, angling is hardly exercise, so as such cannot be done. unless you are lucky enough to have the stream, pond or river on your property.

But that is my point exactly. Why do all these other organisations have to come out of the woodwork to repeat and in some cases put forward their own version of the governments message. Listen to the government, not the organisation for shrimp keepers, the photographic society of Bedford or any other body that happens to represent an interest.

[grendel]

not if you had seen the excuses why people thought they could still fish over on some facebook groups, citing fishing as recreational exercise, at least the angling trusts announcement makes it perfectly clear. I have a vision of anglers country wide sitting by their garden ponds like hordes of oversized gnomes fishing for the goldfish/

[JennyMorgan]

1 minute ago, Hylander said:

God help us, just may be the penny may have dropped that this is a killer.

This latest Covid variant really is. It is highly virulent and we clearly need to take cover.  

[Paul]

1 hour ago, Hylander said:

However, with 60,000 new infections announced today the Government have taken the decision that leaving home for recreation or leisure, including all forms of recreational fishing, should be prohibited in England during this third national lockdown period.

I think that's excellent clarity, well done Angling Trust. Sadly not everyone will read government advice, there is a train of thought that I'll do what I want until somebody tells me I can't, and if I don't listen they'll never tell me. 

[JennyMorgan]

3 minutes ago, Meantime said:

Why do all these other organisations have to come out of the woodwork . . . . . . . . 

Because their members feel a need for clarification. There is a case for angling, namely the mental well being of its participants. However, the message is clear, all things considered, stay at home.

[Meantime]

Perhaps what hasn't been so clear is that this latest set of National restrictions are for the second time being enacted via a statutory instrument, again bypassing parliamentary democracy. It is actually a modification of the existing Tier legislation with Tier 4 being made more restrictive and being made National be moving every area of the country into Tier 4.

What has been very quietly slipped in is that the Tier legislation was due to expire automatically on the 2nd February, but has now been extended till the 31st March. 

[JennyMorgan]

10 minutes ago, Meantime said:

Perhaps what hasn't been so clear is that this latest set of National restrictions are for the second time being enacted via a statutory instrument, again bypassing parliamentary democracy.

Clearly neither we nor HMG have time to follow the more usual niceties of Parliamentary procedure. 

Borris is not empire building, very clearly he is trying to save lives. 

[Meantime]

9 minutes ago, JennyMorgan said:

Clearly neither we nor HMG have time to follow the more usual niceties of Parliamentary procedure. 

Borris is not empire building, very clearly he is trying to save lives. 

Yes I realise that, but the point is that despite the smoke and mirrors good news distraction of 16 million being vaccinated by mid February and things should start to get better, the legislation has been extended quietly till the end of March, which speaks volumes for how long the Government is really thinking the latest measures are going to last.

[Paul]

32 minutes ago, Meantime said:

Perhaps what hasn't been so clear is that this latest set of National restrictions are for the second time being enacted via a statutory instrument

and thank heavens it has, allowing the restrictions to be released into the public domain and become effective instantly. The last thing we need is to watch infection rates soar and the death toll skyrocket whilst the wheels of government grind out the necessary actions. 

Personally I would be very surprised if any major relaxations of current restrictions are possible before Easter at the beginning of April. We have been warned that even if vaccination rates meet government targets it will take as long as sixteen weeks to see that impact the infection rates, that in itself is Easter and beyond, so of course government is extending the time scale of current restrictions. 

If I were you I would get ready for them to be extended further, then  it might not come as a shock.

[Meantime]

3 minutes ago, Paul said:

and thank heavens it has, allowing the restrictions to be released into the public domain and become effective instantly. The last thing we need is to watch infection rates soar and the death toll skyrocket whilst the wheels of government grind out the necessary actions. 

I'd still much rather our MPs were given notice last week, that they were being recalled to parliament last Monday 4th and that the powers were democratically passed on Monday, rather than at 4:30pm Tuesday 5th via an SI.

[floydraser]

1 hour ago, Meantime said:

Why do all these other organisations have to come out of the woodwork to repeat and in some cases put forward their own version of the governments message.

Because they would be criticised like hell if they didn't; they would be accused of sitting back and doing nothing.

We all need to be focussed on the virus and not seemingly obsessed with the rules and how they made. 

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

I have a daughter who is pharmacist in a local hospital, her life is in a frazzle, she could so easily take the easy option and isolate but she doesn't, she sees that risking the lives of herself and her young family as being her duty. She's now working six days a week, often a twelve hour day, comes home both physically and mentally exhausted.

I had a good chat with my daughter yesterday evening and I can confirm what Peter says.

She is mainly involved in the vaccinations at the moment but she does 2  days a week as shift duty matron for all the "normal" hospital wards.  She describes it as a bit of a war zone, since Christmas and has had to sit some of her staff down for a chat and cup of tea, to talk it over with them. She herself seems cheerful and positive and she is still amazed that she hasn't caught it yet! She has certainly been in the "front line" of risk ever since it started.

I get the impression from her that for younger, healthy people, this is no more than a common cold, even if you know you have had it. The risk is for the elderly and those with existing serious conditions, since they don't have the "constitution" to simply fight it off and get over it. So it is the elderly and infirm who must be protected, until they get vaccinated.

For this, they are now fitting out an old out-patient clinic in a separate building in the grounds, so that the elderly can be received within all the Covid precautions and processed without having the risk of entering the hospital itself.  She considers that the Phizer vaccine will be the best for the elderly but the Oxford one can be sent out to doctors' surgeries, pharmacies and clinics, as it does not need serious equipment to keep it frozen.

So it seems to me that the vaccine will be what tells and we must somehow protect the elderly until they can receive it.

[Hylander]

8 minutes ago, Paul said:

and thank heavens it has, allowing the restrictions to be released into the public domain and become effective instantly. The last thing we need is to watch infection rates soar and the death toll skyrocket whilst the wheels of government grind out the necessary actions. 

Personally I would be very surprised if any major relaxations of current restrictions are possible before Easter at the beginning of April. We have been warned that even if vaccination rates meet government targets it will take as long as sixteen weeks to see that impact the infection rates, that in itself is Easter and beyond, so of course government is extending the time scale of current restrictions. 

If I were you I would get ready for them to be extended further, then  it might not come as a shock.

As long as we dont go through this nonsense that we had a Christmas of it being cancelled and then folk allowed to mix for one day , hence the reason we are now in the thick of a true pandemic.   Christmas was not cancelled no more than Easter will be.   Personally has have holiday booked at end of March would like to think we may be on the mend by then but with very strict restrictions.  Oh well it is like ground hog day again for the third time we will have had a holiday booked in March cancelled for one reason or another.

[Meantime]

15 minutes ago, Paul said:

If I were you I would get ready for them to be extended further, then  it might not come as a shock.

What makes you think it would come as a shock to me. I would however be far more appreciative of the Government being far more realistic in it's ambitions and not sneaking such extensions in quietly.

[rightsaidfred]

41 minutes ago, Meantime said:

Perhaps what hasn't been so clear is that this latest set of National restrictions are for the second time being enacted via a statutory instrument, again bypassing parliamentary democracy. It is actually a modification of the existing Tier legislation with Tier 4 being made more restrictive and being made National be moving every area of the country into Tier 4.

What has been very quietly slipped in is that the Tier legislation was due to expire automatically on the 2nd February, but has now been extended till the 31st March. 

So what's the problem, the virus won't take a day of so parliament can have a natter, he is getting slagged off on one hand for not doing enough and on the other for to much can't win no matter what, as for organisations  emphasising what's what given the way some argued minor points last time the more publicity the better then perhaps the message will sink in.

Fred 

[Paul]

24 minutes ago, Meantime said:

What makes you think it would come as a shock to me. I would however be far more appreciative of the Government being far more realistic in it's ambitions and not sneaking such extensions in quietly.

I'm afraid i don't see it as "sneaking such extensions in quietly" but taking necessary and responsible steps to protect the nation in unparalleled times. The current lock down has a time scale of mid February, even the most gullible in society surely do not expect that to be an end to restrictions, and the Prime Minister has made no suggestion that it will be, quite the opposite in fact. 

It's all very well saying notify MPs of a recall, get them back to Westminster, debate new lock down restrictions, call the division and then watch every MP in the house file through the ayes door, as the house has already agreed to back government lock down proposals. 

Meanwhile rates continue to rise, more people die, the end of this gets ever further away and then people start to complain that the government has not taken decisive action. I think people need to pay more attention to the advice and instruction of Government so that as many as possible come through this pandemic as quickly as possible, not cloud the important issues with conspiracy theories and irrelevant debate. 

 

[floydraser]

38 minutes ago, Hylander said:

As long as we dont go through this nonsense that we had a Christmas of it being cancelled and then folk allowed to mix for one day , hence the reason we are now in the thick of a true pandemic.   

With respect, although the restrictions were relaxed we were also given the opportunity to take responsibilty for ourselves and the advice was not to mix if we could possibly avoid it. The fact that we somehow need to be ordered about with a set of rules and regulations reflects our own general lack of self discipline.

[Hylander]

10 minutes ago, floydraser said:

With respect, although the restrictions were relaxed we were also given the opportunity to take responsibilty for ourselves and the advice was not to mix if we could possibly avoid it. The fact that we somehow need to be ordered about with a set of rules and regulations reflects our own general lack of self discipline.

The problem is you and the majority do carry on sensibly but there is an element that does not.

[JennyMorgan]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

She considers that the Phizer vaccine will be the best for the elderly but the Oxford one can be sent out to doctors' surgeries, pharmacies and clinics, as it does not need serious equipment to keep it frozen.

The Phizer vaccine needs constant supervision of a suitably qualified pharmacist, hence my daughter's involvement. Whether that applies equally to the Oxford vaccine I don't know. As for the JPH at Gt Yarmouth, yes, a bit like a war zone. With numerous plastic buildings/tents popping up on the carparks it does look a bit like a military field hospital.