Rejected petition Issue guidance that birdwatching is a permitted as exercise under lockdown

Ministers to give specific guidance to police, like those for fishing and hunting, on Covid lockdown restrictions, that allow local birdwatching, nature watching and photography as a specifically allowed form of exercise, while adhering to the rules on gathering limits and social distancing

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Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport have told the Angling Trust fishing is allowed as exercise so long as participants adhere to the rules on staying local, gathering limits, social distancing & limiting the time spent outdoors
Similar guidance on hunting has also been issued to hunting orgs
Birdwatchers however have been stopped by police & told they are in breach of restrictions for simply stopping to look at wildlife, which is no more a risk than using a gun or sitting with a rod

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

We can't publish petitions when the request is something that's already happening or something that has been announced since you started your petition.

We think your petition is covered by Government or Parliament action already. If you'd like something else, you could start a new petition clearly explaining what it is.

Since you started your petition the Government has stated that people can leave their home to exercise or to visit a public outdoor place for outdoor recreation: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home

The Government's guidance does not specifically refer to particular activities.

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