UPDATE: The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced fresh new curbs to restrict movement in the United Kingdom to slow the spread of the coronavirus - all non-essential travel is prohibited. Full details here (Monday 23 March)

^^^ THE LINK ABOVE IS THE LATEST INFORMATION, PLEASE READ ^^^

Please note the below information has been superseded by updated guidelines - LINK HERE FOR LATEST

THE government has announced that all bars, pubs, clubs restaurants, and gyms are to close, as well as many other small and large businesses across the UK.

While the months ahead may be new to many of us, you needn’t fear, as going out for a ride on your motorcycle, at the minute at least, is a safe activity to partake in.

Like many of you reading this, the first thing we thought about when the PM’s announcement was made was ‘can I still go out for a ride tomorrow?’. As it stands at this moment in time, your afternoon enjoying some time on deserted roads looks to be safe.

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We spoke to the cabinet office press team earlier today, their advice was that while group motorcycle rides would be discouraged, going out for a ride on your own and not interacting with many people would be absolutely fine.

They did though ask that anybody showing signs of infection (a fever, cough, breathing difficulties or all three) should self-isolate and remain at home. Likewise, if anyone has been around somebody with these symptoms or a confirmed case of Coronavirus, they should also self-isolate to prevent it from spreading any further.

They also confirmed that there are no travel restrictions in place for people, whether travelling by car or motorcycle, so personal travel purely for pleasure is absolutely fine.

They also asked that any motorcyclists going out for a ride should get to know the government's guidance on social distancing (available here) and take every precaution when leaving the house.

While the government's advice looks like a green light to go out and ride into the hills, let's not go too silly. The NHS is going to massively under stress in the coming weeks and months - let's not add to that by pretending Valentino Rossi on the B4446 and getting it all wrong.

Ride safe.