A British woman has faced criticism after she was interviewed by media an complained about people being at the beach at the same time as she was.
Jane Peacock and her family were at a beach in Dorset, a 90-minute drive from her home, when the BBC interviewed her about the numerous people gathered at the beach to enjoy the sunny day.
Right now, in Britain, trips farther than 1 km. are not allowed, and Jane’s family has clearly breached this rule.
When questioned by a reporter, Jane said:
“It’s lovely to get out but I’m quite shocked at how many people are here,’ she said while relaxing on the beach.
They’re not paying attention to social distancing. I find that quite annoying to be honest – it’s like being in Tesco.”
Jane’s interview was swiftly shared on social media and has been viewed more than 865,000 times on Twitter, with one commenter writing:
“To the woman on BBC news this evening who drove an hour and a half to Durdle Door to say “I’m quite annoyed about the amount of people here”, well done on making yourself look like an idiot #COVIDIDIOTS”
Another person said:
“I think she sees herself as above the problem”
“This type of ego is what is wrong with the majority of the UK.”
And yet another commented:
“I’m gobsmacked, we’re only allowed to go 1km from our home…here on Lanzarote…No wonder the UK has the highest number of Coronavirus related deaths in Europe..no common sense.”
Another said:
“For someone who is engaging in selfish, irresponsible behaviour to criticise others for selfish, irresponsible behaviour is the height of hypocrisy. Don’t go to the beach or other beauty hotspots. Don’t drive one and a half hours to go anywhere. Just stay at home.”
One person commented sarcastically:
“We want freedom of movement to go where we like, but we don’t want it for others”
And another said:
“Sorry Peacock family, I live a five minute walk from the beach where I live, drop me a dm next time you want to come visit and I’ll drive the 1.5 hours to your house just to even things up”
I’m baffled. Just saw this on the news. Woman who drove 1.5 hours to go to the beach with her family complains about other people at the beach who have done the same as her. Does she not see she’s part of the problem #StayAtHomeSaveLives #COVIDIDIOTS pic.twitter.com/iowllyZEk2
— Colm McAfee (@mcafee77) May 17, 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been relaxing restrictions correspondingly with the rest of the world, with outdoor trips including to beaches and parks not being allowed.
There are also restrictions on the distance people are allowed to travel and overnight stays are forbidden.
Social distancing needs to be monitored and get-togethers including more than one person from another household are still prohibited.
Many people worry about a second wave of coronavirus hitting the United Kingdom, even though the number of deaths is going down.
One UK citizen talked about feeling guilt for driving 10-15 minutes to exercise their dog following Jane’s interview.
“Thought the same when I saw it. Moaning about people being there, but drove 1.5hrs herself to get there,” Jo Arundel said. “We had a 10-15 minute drive out yesterday with the dog and felt guilty doing that!”
“Same here, last two days I’ve driven a few miles for a slight change of scenery and to walk a different coastal route to the last 60 or so days,” Robin Hunter added. “It was nice but I felt guilty making the journey.”
Jane Peacock has so far not commented on the criticism directed at her.
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