It's 2021, There's Still A Pandemic Going On, Be Careful Playing Pokémon Go

Illustration for article titled Its 2021, Theres Still A Pandemic Going On, Be Careful Playing iPokémon Go/i

Image: Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go made over $1 billion last year, which means loads of you are still playing it. Which is great! But hey, just remember, we’re still somehow in the middle of a global pandemic, and so going outside isn’t always the smartest idea.

Pokémon Go to its credit knows this, which is why the game has been tweaked over the last 12 months to accommodate the fact a lot of people haven’t been able to get together like we used to, but no amount of tweaking can make it a stay-at-home singleplayer experience, which has been causing some problems in places like the United Kingdom, where people are currently under a strict lockdown.

As local paper The Southern Standard report, police in Rochford, England made a tweet the other day saying:

Whilst patrolling, our community policing team, have had cause to speak with a number of different men, aged 30+ over the last week, who seemed to feel it is acceptable to attend certain public places within the district, to hunt Pokemon.

Honestly, yes, you did read that correctly.

If that happens to be someone you know, please remind them of the following information shared by our partners at Rochford District Council.

That post was soon deleted, but only because of its tone, not its content, with a police spokesperson telling Eurogamer “The tweet was issued in good faith but was later deleted to ensure the appropriate level of seriousness when sharing crucial partnership and safety messages about the pandemic.”

The UK is in lockdown. The Netherlands is in lockdown. Germany is about to enter one hell of a lockdown that could last up to 10 weeks. The US…should be in lockdown. If your local laws (or just local conditions for Americans) mean going outside is a bad idea right now, and that socialising is an even worse one, if you want to use Pokémon Go to help you exercise make sure you stay safe!

source: gamezpot.com