A pub landlord from the coolest village in Scotland, Moniaive in Dumfries and Galloway has launched a petition to stop the clocks going back an hour this October, and to put them forward an hour instead.
Tim Osullivan from the The Craigdarroch Hotel in Moniave Said ” It is widely believed, and reported, that the virus appears to spread less easily outdoors because of ventilation. This has been the basis for many of the restrictions imposed by various Governments across the globe. So the conclusion many would come to is that persuading people to live, socialise, exercise, and eat and drink outside as much as possible is a positive way to help stop the spread of the virus within communities.
Jonathan Van-Tam, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, previously said the virus appears to spread less easily outdoors because of the ventilation factor. At the end of April, he told the daily Downing Street briefing that “there is a definite truism across all of the science literature that ventilation is a most critical part of reducing transmission from respiratory viruses”.
Mr Van-Tam explained that normal breezes and air currents appeared to quickly disperse “any kind of plumes of anything” around us and said, “So from that perspective, it is absolutely categorically clear that outdoor spaces with higher degrees of ventilation are less problematic environments for transmission than indoor spaces.”
If we take the above as a given then we have a suggestion that we feel would make this easier for everyone here in the Northern Hemisphere. Currently the plan is to put the clocks back by one hour in October. This plan does, however, have a severe impact on the amount of daylight available to us all, therefore curtailing the amount of time anyone can spend outside. Indeed it would be instrumental in driving people inside earlier every day over the winter months.
This has health implications beyond the pandemic. Earlier darker evenings mean less time for children to go out and play, driving them inside to play on their computers or watch TV. With obesity an additional danger for anyone catching covid-19 more daylight in the evenings would allow more time outside for play and exercise for both children and adults. Cyclists and walkers would both benefit.”
Tim Continued “Instead of putting the clocks BACK an hour in October we propose putting them FORWARD by an hour.
There is a precedent for this: During the Second World War (1939-1945), British Double Summer Time – two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) – was temporarily introduced for the period when ordinary daylight saving would be in force. During the winter, clocks were kept one hour in advance of GMT to increase productivity. This also happened in the 1970’s.
Advantages: Lighter evenings. Allowing for more leisure time outside for all ages.
Hospitality/Shops. This would benefit the hospitality sector, allowing people to remain outside to eat and drink much later than is currently possible. It would also encourage people to shop local for longer.
Disadvantages: Darker mornings. With less traffic on the roads (due to 46.6% working from home1) the reasoning behind putting the clocks back to allow children to walk to school in daylight becomes less imperative.
Farming/Bakeries etc. Some industries would find putting the clocks forward an hour challenging but, the needs and health of the rest of the population would need to be weighed against this.
Conclusion It would help control the virus by allowing people to remain outside for longer in the afternoons/evenings. It would benefit some sectors of the economy currently struggling to remain viable. Health benefits would increase allowing more time for leisure, sports, socialising outside.”
If You wish to sign the petition please click here
