WITH UK households still in coronavirus lockdown, children’s mental health and wellbeing has become a huge concern for parents, according to research.
So what are the rules when it comes to taking kids out to the supermarket for groceries, or enjoying exercise outside?
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Can I take my child shopping?
Annoyingly, the government doesn't give clear guidance on this question – and frustrated parents have told the Sun Online about their kids being barred from entering all the major supermarkets.
But clearly, if – for example – you are a single parent, have no family nearby to help babysit or have elderly parents who are at risk of contracting coronavirus, you can't be expected to leave your young child at home alone, or in the car while you queue and shop for food.
In its 'guidance for food businesses on Covid-19', the government does NOT suggest that children should be barred from accompanying parents in supermarkets.
It tells supermarket bosses:
- You need to minimise opportunities for the virus to spread by maintaining a distance of two metres between individuals.
- This advice applies to both inside the food business and in the external public areas where customers may need to queue.
The government vaguely says "the practical implementation of this advice" is up to store managers.
But, "supermarkets need to avoid crowding and create adequate spacing between individuals."
It adds that "effective measures to support this will vary by store and location but could include":
- Monitoring the number of customers within store and limiting access to avoid congestion
- Implementing queue management systems to limit crowds gathering at entrances and maintain the two metres distance
- Reminding customers to only buy what they need
And that's the supermarket-specific section – there is nothing in it to suggest that children shouldn't accompany parents.
Despite this, Mumsnet users have spoken out about their distressing shopping experiences.
One Edinburgh woman posted that she has struggled to buy food "over the past few days", which has been tricky as she is a "single parent trying to work from home with a five and nine year old".
Sainsbury's was "advising no children and stopping people with kids to ask if they can be elsewhere", and this response was echoed in Tesco, and Morrisons – which told her it was a case of "one person, one trolley".
She was left in a quandary as there were "no click and and collect slots for three weeks.
"Should I now leave them alone when I have to get us food? I am distraught today after this."
Parents on Mumsnet told her that Asda was "letting whole families in, and couples, no questions asked".
One parent said that they "shop for my parents who are vulnerable as well as myself.
"I'm a lone parent to a five-year-old. I've been getting my dad to come and park his car next to mine in the supermarket car park.
"I leave [the child] in it with a screen and my dad sits in his own car. I do the shopping for both houses at the same time."
Others suggested the single mum should ask other pals or family to use click and collect, for someone else pick up and drop off her order.
However, it appears that when it comes to shopping, the response from individual supermarket bosses varies, with some happy to accept kids, while others quote social distancing rules to ban them.
Given the confusion, Sainsbury's has recently issued a message to customers, advising them "children are of course welcome if they are not able to stay at home".
The supermarket chain explains that they have a "queuing system in place outside stores, and ask you to please queue at a safe distance of two metres apart.
"We are asking everyone to please only send on adult per household to our shops.
"This helps us keep people a safe distance apart.
"Our store teams will be asking groups with more than one adult to chose one adult to shop and will ask other adults to wait."
Supermarkets have been working hard to deal with the spike of customers during the coronavirus crisis.
Aldi, Sainsbury's and Tesco told the Sun they don't have a ban on children in stores, with each supermarket saying parents are able to bring kids in if necessary.
However, they are asking families to be mindful of how many people they bring along on their supermarket trip.
Which supermarkets are limiting customers?
Aldi: Aldi is capping the number of customers in each store but as stores are different sizes, it is at the discretion of each store manager.
Asda: Asda is capping the number of people allowed in stores at one time. As each branch is a different size, the number of customers varies per store.
Lidl: Lidl also announced on it would be “implementing a crowd control system with immediate effect” in order to try to manage social distancing within its stores.
Iceland: The Sun has asked Iceland if it is capping the number of customers in store and we will update this story when we hear back.
Morrisons: The Sun has asked Morrisons if it is capping the number of customers in store and we will update this story when we hear back.
Sainsbury's: Sainsbury's has implemented a queuing system outside stores and is asking everyone to queue two metres apart. It is also limiting the number of people allowed in its branches.
Tesco: Tesco is limiting the number of people who come into stores to help reduce congestion inside.
Can I take my child on a walk?
People have been taking kids outside, in the sunshine, to stroll in their local neighbourhood – as part of the once-a-day outdoor exercise allowed by the government.
Just make sure you keep two metres away from others also enjoying a walk nearby.
The government also says:
- You can still go to the park for outdoor exercise once a day – but only alone or with members of your household, not in groups.
- Communal places within parks such as sports courts, playgrounds and outdoor gyms have been closed to protect everyone’s health.
- Households must use parks responsibly and keep two metres apart from others at all times.
Unless you are with members of your household, gatherings of more than two people in parks and other public spaces have been banned.
If children can stay safely at home, "they must, to limit the chance of the coronavirus spreading," says the government.
That means avoiding all public spaces, such as playgrounds, theatres and cinemas.
All unnecessary travel should be stopped too.
Kids shouldn’t be playing outside in groups, or joining in team games during the coronavirus pandemic, to help stop the disease spreading in the community via social contact.
A recent Save the Children survey found that more than half of parents (56%) are worried about their child’s mental health as schools are closed and contact with friends and family is restricted.
And children aged six to 18 said they were most concerned about a family member becoming sick (58%), food running out (25%), not being able to see friends (46%) and keeping up with school work (20%).
An overwhelming 85% of the kids surveyed said they were upset about not seeing friends and relatives for the foreseeable future due to the unfolding Coronavirus outbreak.
The charity has also set up a free, online resource hub, The Den, which provides caregivers with a range of creative resources and activities, and features some of the UK’s best-loved celebrities.
It includes “ideas for keeping children calm and connected, creative play, fitness and food activities, and a corona-free zone including stories of happiness and hope from children across the world”.
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