Ministers today urged people to snitch on their neighbours if they are flouting new ‘Rule of Six’ coronavirus curbs.
Policing minister Kit Malthouse said rule-breakers should be flagged to the authorities, amid a backlash at the draconian measures.
The drastic intervention came as Home Secretary Priti Patel warned that people face criminal records as well as thousands of pounds in fines if they refuse to abide by the law.
Meanwhile, the government’s response to the spike in infections has been slammed by top scientists as panicky and flawed, with jibes that those in charge are a ‘Dad’s Army’ with no experience.
The restrictions are now in force in England after a weekend in which many members of the public enjoyed a final meet up.
Gatherings of more than six people have been made illegal in a bid to stem a surge in coronavirus cases, which experts have warned is on the verge of spiralling out of control.It means that many larger households can no longer meet up with anyone else together.
However, the rules in England are tougher than in Wales and Scotland, where under-12s are being exempted from the crackdown.
There are fears that worse is in the pipeline, with a 10pm curfew for pubs being considered amid alarm that young people are ‘forgetting’ Covid regulations.
As the UK stands on the brink of another miserable lockdown:
- Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer backed the latest crackdown saying people should obey the restrictions, but condemned the government’s shambolic testing system;
- Ministers in Wales have warned that the country could be back in a full lockdown within weeks unless the number of new infections falls;
- Police last night cracked down on young revellers hitting the booze before the new six person limit to social gatherings kicked in today;
- Nightingale hospitals ‘have been put on standby’ and Salesforce B2B-Commerce-Administrator Dumps & Practice Test the nation warned to adhere to the Prime Minister’s new rules or face another full lockdown;
- The Government’s ‘world-beating’ testing system is in ‘chaos’ with a backlog of 185,000 swabs and is dispatching the samples to Italy and Germany to deal with the strain;
- Six West End theatres say they’ll reopen next month with temperature checks at the doors, face masks and socially-distanced seating;
- Tory donors have urged the Government to protect the economy above all because without money there can be no healthcare.
People were out and about in the sunshine in Battersea, London today as the new coronavirus restrictions took effect
Police were out on the streets in Birmingham today as the new coronavirus ‘Rule of Six) came into force
Waterloo was still far quieter than before the pandemic today despite ministers urging people to return to offices
Commuters at London Bridge today as the latest restrictions took effect – with warnings that even tougher moves might be needed if cases do not come down
Boris Johnson was in Downing Street today as the government faces pressure over its handling of the coronavirus crisis
Young men and women took the weekend to be the last chance to party before hardline rules were introduced by the PM
Final hurrah: one drinker in Leeds gives a thumbs up on Sunday night before the new restrictions kicked in this morning
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