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Paris Mobike (CC licensed by Claudius Dorenrof via Flickr)France bans cycling as it tightens coronavirus measures
France has effectively banned recreational cycling as part of its coronavirus lockdown. The sports ministry made the announcement after widespread criticism of the large numbers of people taking to the streets for exercise after a lockdown was imposed on Tuesday.
Authorities have urged people to only leave their homes once a day, saying they should choose between going for a run or going to get groceries.
“Remember that you are not supposed to leave except for urgent matters such as grocery shopping or health reasons,” said the Ministry for Sport. “A short run is possible, but not a 10k.”
The French Cycling Federation later tweeted a request that all cyclists “show responsibility by avoiding any practice outside during this period.”
📢 Face à l'épidémie de COVID-19, la @FFCyclisme demande à tous les cyclistes de faire preuve de responsabilité en évitant toute pratique à l'extérieur durant cette période.
Un seul mot d'ordre : "Sauvez des vies ! Restez chez vous !"
Plus d'informations ⤵ pic.twitter.com/tj0l3WJn8n
— FFC (@FFCyclisme) March 19, 2020
It is hard to say to what extent cycling is considered a genuine risk and to what extent the move is symbolic.
French president Emmanuelle Macron has reportedly been appalled by the French population’s lack of collective discipline in respecting social distancing measures and it could be that the stricter rules are an effort to convey the message that people really do need to stay at home.
Thelocal.fr reports that cycling to work is still permitted.
In the UK, campaigners have called for the Government to treat cycling as a ‘strategic industry’.
British Cycling has asked the Health Secretary to recommend cycling as part of Government advice as a way to stay active and to alleviate some of the issues related to prolonged isolation, while Cycling UK yesterday advised families to keep riding their bikes.
In Italy, cycling has been banned to minimise the risk of accidents and so reduce demand on the already overburdened medical service. Spain has also put restrictions on recreational cycling.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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55 comments
I gather from the comments section that some French busybodies are scouring Strava to see who is still riding their bicycles and then sending them rude notes. And people wonder why I avoid social media ...
I'm reading through the comments with incredulity. The I'm alright jack people are the biggest surprise as they don't seem to know what is going on. The why close all the businesses don't seem to know what is going on. The don't take away our cycling ones don't seem to know what is going on.
tbh, no one knows what is going to happen or fully what is going on in a virus that was properly noticed as a concern In December and is now pretty much world wide and overwhelming health organisations all over.
However let's have some facts so far. This is not flu, the is a respiratory disease. Flu Is not specifically respiratory. Flu has vaccines, herd immunity and known treatments and test still people die. We have none of this for COVID-19.
"only the old die and they don't work anyway". Yes the majority of the deaths are old people. But that is not all of them. Tell that to the 15 medical staff who have died in Italy helping to treat sick COVID-19 victims. But that is not the only main figure to be concerned of. Current estimates are up to 20% of everyone who gets it (barring children) need some hospitalisation with 2% needing critical care. So all the people on the beaches yesterday or milling around parks or towns or panic buying at supermarkets because I'm young so even if I get it, I will be ok, please think again.
The government lockdowns for everyone are in place to try to limit the rates of infection to coping numbers and then i suspect there will be relaxations, with measures put in place to react quickly to outbreaks like South Korea do. This is going to be a world altering experience and we have to hope that it currently doesn't mutate too much and that vaccines and / or treatments come along soon. There might even be a flu and COVID season and vaccines done together from now on.
As for the cycling shutdowns. Whilst I wish they didn't happen, if they do it is another control mechanism in the cog. Whilst maybe some of it might be to avoid extra strain on medical services, the majority will be to stop it being a workaround to avoid travel when we are put in larger sanctions over it. (No driving your car anywhere but to the supermarket but you can cycle anywhere you want to will soon have people abusing it, after all Spanish people were buying and using stuffed dogs to go out and about).
And finally can I say, yes I know nothing, the same as pretty much everyone else on this board, I'm just aware that there are more numbers out there to be concerned about then the headline ones. Governments around the world are doing thing we would never have dreamt about three months ago. They are not doing it on a whim. However they are the lesser of two evils in there eyes. We never got to these levels with SARS, bird flu, Ebola, Mers and swine flu because these weren't as deadly or as easily caught as COVID is and the world got lucky. It didn't in 1918 and it hasn't now.
This. All this. Remember that in 10 days we will not have a NHS. It will be completely overwhelmed. There isn’t enough capacity to deal with the under 40s who will need hospitalisation for Covid, let alone those who get ill or need treatment for anything else. Even if we just let all the over 80s die without treatment, it will still not cope. I’m just flabbergasted by the response here
I went out on my bike this morning, on my own, and cycled from Preston to Malham and back. The roads were extremely quiet all the way there. As I was descending into Malham, I stopped halfway down to take some photos, I was amazed how many people were walking along the path from Malham all the way up the side of Malham cove. They were like ants. But that was only the beginning. As I cycled through Malham, it was like a dozen buses had tipped up and chucked everyone out. It was bedlam, the busiest I have ever seen it, and this was at just 10.30! No social distancing here at all, everyone looked in great spirits as they bumped into others. Unbelievable. And the cafe was open too, but I don't know if it was just take away being served. As I cycled out, towards Hellifield, there was a constant stream of cars coming in, with nowhere to park as Malham was gridlocked.
dear Road CC. Please can you shrink the MASSIVE Rapha banner that is taking up a third of my screen.
And the gravel bike adverts that are blocking mine. It'll be interesting to see how long advertising revenues last, by the way...given that no one will be buying anything anytime soon!
In other and yet strangly similar news, E4 changed the tonights first scheduled episode of Rick and Morty, from S1 ep6 to S3 ep10 (The Obamaish one). I know I didn't imagine that the original was meant to be on, they showed a clip of the scheduled episode on Sunday Brunch.
From France, here really a lot of people think that the lockdown is a good thing (on strava you can get insults if you show that you went outside...) but for me it seems also a bit too much (well only the future will tell). There will probably be an economical (/ financial / oil ) crisis and this may impact for a long time on the life of lots of people, especially the youngs...
As for cycling, in theory it stays okay for commuting and going to the store (see tweet from sport minister https://twitter.com/Sports_gouv/status/1240693335834021889) but coming back from groceries I was stopped by police and they said it's not allowed for anything as it's "too dangerous" ! Anyway you can drive your can at high speed as there is nobody on the roads but that doesn't seem dangerous for them.
I hope for you in the UK that your government will follow what british cycling recommends !
Road CC, what are you doing? Allowing the clickbait ads to cover the bottom of the screen? I accept ads pay revenue to you, but this is ridiculous.
I cannot help but think that this is a massive over reaction too. This is akin to taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Many businesses will go under. Many in the at risk category are of an age where they do not work, and can self isolate for weeks. No, it is not ideal but why cripple the whole economy, when we will be all paying for this for decades. I do think solitary cycling and walking should be kept up. It cleanses the mind, relaxes and gives you a good feeling. I have started walking around the edges of the inustrial estate where I work at lunchtime, mainly to get away from the doom and gloom on every radio station. (Jeremy Vines The world is ending two hour slot for one). A few minutes away from the business park I am in country lanes, the birds are singing, nature tells us that life goes on, and I am a world away from the shit. And for an hour, I can be happy listening to the birdsong and feeling the warmish spring sun on my back.
Keep it up Bill. I'm heading into Kent and the Ashdown Forest today - but will observe social distancing ettiquette. Hopefully some of those bike shops are still selling coffee
Sledgehammer for a nut? When the nut in question has the potential to kill millions of people. Use the sledgehammer, then burn it, encase it in concrete and drop it down the deepest hole available.
Whilst we are still allowed out, and that might well change if people don't take distancing seriously, then please, whatever you are doing, just dial it back a notch.
Getting on top of this thing sooner rather than later means we can get back to normal sooner.
The analysis from the Italian NHS on 2000 dead reveals that the average age of the deceased is 79.5yrs. Almost half the dead had three preconditions (heart disease, diabetes, kidney ailments etc); a quarter had two and the remainder one. There were just 17 deaths under 50, all of which had a severe pre-condition. Seventy percent were male. The average life expectancy of an Italian male is 81.2yrs.
Now, the spread of COVID-19 positive tests in pretty even: 37% 70+; 37% 50-70 and the balance basically 19 - 50. But deaths are MASSIVELY skewed towards the very elderly AND already seriously infirm. (Statista stats).
Still think that it is worth closing the economy for this? There are many businesses that will close from the measures taken by the Government and the panick that is ensuing....and they will not re-open: airlines, hotels, holidays businesses in the UK and abroad, your restaurants, cafes, shops and many, many manufacturing businesses that will run out of cash ...
On a macro level Sterling is plummeting along with the stock market. The cost of government borrowing will inevitably increase and those that are left behind - and if we look at the Italian pattern that will be the vast majority of us - will be paying for this for decades. Still think it is worth closing the economy for this?
Yes - absolutely. Half a million deaths DIRECTLY from the disease is what is expected, unless there is mitigation. This includes lots of young people with immune issues. On top of this is the INDIRECT deaths from people who can't get treatment because the hospitals are overflowing with covid-19 patients.
We are at the very very start of a long journey, unless we nip this in the bud. And even then....
Spanish flu, immediately after world war one, killed more people than the war itself. Just bear that in mind.
Well if all the oldies that are expected to die, and those at risk younguns just do it quietly, and don't clog up the A&E and ICU, so just die at home, then we'll be alright.
If not, much higher deaths from heart attacks and strokes. Far more road deaths and industrial accidents caused fatalities. And then what happens after the next terrorist outrage or train crash. And cancer, forget about getting anything done about that.
Back pain, hip replacements, mental health, all overwhelmed bacause we just have to look after the dying and try and get it below 15%.
I might be alright, but I'm really hoping my better half can make it though this and we'd both like a few more years with our mothers around.
The casino capitalists almost brought their entire system down in '08 and we are and will be paying for it for many years. This one, well hopefully we will manage and make it through, and perhaps with a bit of thought and changes we might come out of it better.
I agree with you. So use some of the GBP350,000,000 plus to build more hospitals and a social care system for the elderly to isolate them - rather than screw up the economy for the rest of us - for decades to come.
Keep in mind road traffic deaths are over 3000 per day globally, well in excess of any war, terrorist act and COVID-19, yet it does not provoke the kind of urgent response being used for the virus. And there are medical causes like heart disease and stroke that in many cases are preventable, responsible for many more deaths and hospitalisations. Air pollution is responsible for more deaths, but we don’t shut down the economy because of it. Influenza kills at least 300,000 a year.
In that context, it’s quite reasonable to question if the response to COVID-19 is proportionate, or irrational panic. Or if you’re a cynic like me, wonder if it is being used as an opportunity to cause global recession and hit the reset button on the economy.
But it is perfectly possible to let low risk people go about their lives, whilst really isolating those at a higher risk (which in Italy is those over 70yrs with 1 - 3 serious illnesses - many of which live in the sad isolation of old age anyway). Also the death toll in Italy has been particulary high due to intergenerational living. Hands up on here if you live with you grandparents?
Do you realise how many hospitals and COVID-19 resistant care-homes we could build for them with GBP 350,000,000,000? Let alone the two other 'stimulus' tranches we've seen this week...
It's not about the current death rate. The real aim is about slowing the number of infections to buy time for the build up of herd immunity and/or effective medication. An eminent immunologist described Corvid 19 as 'slippery'. After species jumping it mutated to allow human to human transfer in a few weeks. It took years for this to happen in previous similar cases. It has mutated again at least once as there are now two known strains. If it mutates again into something really nasty before we are able to deal with it then the manure will really hit the aircon.
"perfectly possible to let low risk people go about their lives, whilst really isolating those at a higher risk"
"the death toll in Italy has been particulary high due to intergenerational living"
Wow! Who knew you were an expert in this field. Did you even know you where one a month ago?
oh yeah and also you're also really hot in large infrastructure projects! Amazing!
"Do you realise how many hospitals and COVID-19 resistant care-homes we could build for them with GBP 350,000,000,000?"
Just wondering when all those lovely CV19 resistant hospitals and care homes will open their doors? 2021? 2022?
Now is not the time for armchair experts. Listen and adhere to PublIc Health England advice. Peoples lives, someone's mum, someone's dad, someone's loved ones lives depend on it.
Please - don't second guess this. Do the right thing.
Mitigation won't solve anything, millions will die anyway; sooner rather than later.
Suppression is the way
Efficient & effective Testing coupled with Contact Tracing is the key, otherwise social measures (mandatory quarantine & isolation, distancing, etc) alone are futile.
That's how China & S. Korea were so successful at tackling the outbreak.
Nice to finally see a voice of reason. We should do all we can to avoid more deaths, but the measures taken are no longer proportionate to what reason suggest we should do. Banning cycling will only have a negative influence on people's immune system - especially in the long run. Not to mention their mental health. Also, where were all the concerned voices last year when 80.000 people died in the US from the flu H3n2?
Chris - your stats may be correct and 'reassuring' but the public health system still has to cope with the situation and this is why you have to have these measures. In north Italy the army is moving coffins by night to other regions for burial as local cemeteries are full. The army is also setting up field hospitals. The victims may be old but they still have the right to a dignified death and burial. World health systems are designed for quotidian events and not pandemics. (it can cope with x amount of strokes / heart attacks / RTCs per day) Which is another reason why there are such strict measures: to help prevent the collapse of the health system.
Also, I guess no one really knows how the virus may mutate. It could start attacking younger bodies so surely it's best to halt it as soon as possible.
Police: So you're cycling to work? Where Do you work?
Cyclist: The weather station at the top of Mont Ventoux officer...
The cyclist continues:
"I also need to visit a number of other weather stations in the region.
I'm riding alone and I've washed my hands. Now make sure you stand at least 2 metres away monsieur and allow me to continue with my essential work."
Even if there's now an automatic weather station up there that is a brilliant and witty comment. I live in lock down France, where were no longer allowed to cycle for sports or leisure reasons. Thanks for making me smile!
I'd really like to know the reasoning behind these bans. As CUK, BC and others have pointed out, risk is very low and benefits huge, so why ban it?
Something must be done. This is something. We must do it.
Well, consider the general reaction to incidents.
Does that answer your question?
And I only wish it were satire.
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