Police detail how they have been cracking down on those not following the Level 4 restrictions around Auckland. Video / Police
How many times have you taken a stroll in the past three weeks, vigilant about maintaining a safe distance from passersby, only to find yourself run off the footpath by a determined jogger?
In an article for the Telegraph, Paul Tonkinson reveals runners have become public enemy number two (second to the virus) around his home in the UK, sweating their way snuggly by those travelling at a more leisurely pace.
It's gotten so bad in the UK that "for the first time in history there are public calls to ban running, or restrict it to certain hours". Photo / Getty Images
Reports from Auckland suburbs from Mt Eden to Massey seem to reflect the same: one a quiet, leafy place, the other similarly calm save for the hiss of boy racers, now appear to be, well, overrun with residents hoofing it down the pavements with a newfound sense of ownership. Sure, there are still plenty of courteous runners among us, but there also seems to be a breakaway pack of the aggressive kind.
It's gotten so bad in the UK that "for the first time in history there are public calls to ban running, or restrict it to certain hours", says Tonkinson.
Meanwhile, after France recorded its highest daily death toll to date, Paris has gone ahead and banned daytime jogging after several groups were seen out running together.
We're not there yet, but here in New Zealand, it's not just bolshy runners storming their way into our safe spaces, ostensibly deducing that if brushing by at speed, the two metre rule need not apply.
Spotted around Auckland and beyond, plenty of Kiwis seem to be unaware of, or determined to shirk, the rules put in place for our own good.
There was the gaggle of Herne Bay mums, reported on Instagram at the weekend, parked up with their prams for a good old up-close gas bag.
And the boot camp group caught on camera in Eden Terrace's Basque Park, rolling their hips and engaging in close-range tricep dips on the first weekend in lockdown.
A group of 'dedicated' boot camp attendees meet up in the first weekend of lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, over in Westmere's Cox's Bay Reserve, photos have emerged of dogs running amok while some of their owners engage in what appears to be too-close-for-Covid chit chat.
Cox's Bay Reserve is a busy spot during lockdown. Photo / Supplied
Heading down south, a local Greytown resident shared on Facebook that several people had been seen driving over from Wellington for "shopping day trips". A pleasant excursion in ordinary times, they note why this is of particular concern for the people of their small town.
"This town has a large elderly population. Please don't be an idiot and come to the Wairarapa because you got bored or wanted a damned bag of flour."
In case you're unsure, the Government's recent health notice sets out the guidelines for safe distancing and "essential personal movement" as:
• Everyone in New Zealand is to be isolated or quarantined at their current place of residence except as permitted for essential personal movement;
• Exercise is to be done in an outdoor place that can be readily accessed from home and two-metre physical distancing must be maintained;
• Recreation and exercise does not involve swimming, water-based activities (for example, surfing or boating), hunting, tramping, or other activities of a kind that expose participants to danger or may require search and rescue services;
• A child can leave the residence of one joint care-giver to visit or stay at the residence of another joint care-giver (and visit or stay at that residence) if there is a shared bubble arrangement;
• A person can leave their residence to visit or stay at another residence (and visit or stay at that residence) under a shared bubble arrangement if:
