With a complete lockdown, 2021 didn’t have a positive start for the United Kingdom. While British Triathlon gave clarity on what athletes are still allowed to do a few weeks ago (in summary people are allowed to leave their houses for exercise, once a day, as long as they stay in their local area), not everyone seems to be abiding by the rules. That includes British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which has caught the media’s attention.
Johnson, a keen cyclist and runner, was spotted riding his bike about ten km away from his house. The British PM has been criticized for leaving his “local area” and, therefore, breaking the rules that he’s asked others to abide by.
“Johnson should be leading by example”
“Once again it is do as I say, not as I do, from the prime minister,” Andy Slaughter, Labour MP for the Hammersmith district in London, told the The Guardian. “London has some of the highest infection rates in the country. Boris Johnson should be leading by example.”
According to the PM’s spokesman, Johnson didn’t break any rules by riding his bike that far from home. At some level the rules are open to interpretation as there is no clear definition of what “staying in your local area” means. However, people feel that Johnson, who has been working hard to convince other people to stay at home, is setting a bad example by bending the rules in his favor.
“Stop running on busy streets”
It’s not the first time since the lockdown that a discussion about the rules concerning exercise has arisen. Earlier this week journalist Piers Morgan complained about runners on the TV show Good Morning Britain, saying they are “unbelievably selfish.”
“I’d like people to stop running on busy streets and breathing heavily all over everyone they run past,” Morgan said. “I think it’s unbelievably selfish. It’s like: go run in a park, they’re all open. Just stop running down the high street blustering over people. I think it’s ridiculous.”
