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People in England who see their neighbors disobeying the new “rule of six” are being encouraged by the government to contact the police.
Social gatherings of more than six people are now illegal in England from today.
People face fines of up to £ 3,200 if they fail to comply with the new measure, which aims to curb a rise in COVID-19 cases.
A total of 3,330 confirmed cases of coronavirus were recorded in the UK on Sunday, the first time since May that cases exceeded 3,000 in three consecutive days.
As the new rule took effect, Surveillance Minister Kit Malthouse said concerned neighbors should call the non-emergency police phone number to report violations of the restriction.
“We are in discussions about what reporting mechanisms might exist, but obviously there is a non-emergency number that people can call and report any problems they want,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
“Certainly, during the initial stage of the lockdown, we did see an increase in reports reaching the police.
“If people are concerned, if they think there is a violation, then that option is open to them.”
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When asked if that would involve reporting a gathering of seven or more people in a neighbor’s yard, Malthouse said: “It is open to neighbors to do exactly that via the non-emergency number and if they are concerned and come that kind of thing, then they absolutely should think about it. “
When asked to clarify whether residents should be concerned about local violations of the law on neighboring properties and report them to the police, he replied, “Yes.”
The regulations allowing the rule to apply were published Sunday night, about 30 minutes before they went into effect.
Interior Minister Priti Patel said the new rule was “easier to understand and easier to enforce by the police.”
Writing in The Sun newspaper, Ms Patel said that the police “will be able to disperse gatherings of more than six people and fine those involved £ 100, doubling up to a maximum of £ 3,200 for repeat offenders”.
“They will continue to impose £ 10,000 fines on people hosting raves or other large illegal events,” he added.
“I know that as part of our national effort, the law-abiding majority will adhere to these new rules.
“But there will be a small minority that will not do it and the police have the necessary powers to act against them.”
“This disease is deadly and so it is right for the police to enforce where people break the rules.”
Downing Street suggested that the police would not immediately begin imposing fines on people who violate the “rule of six” restrictions.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “What you would expect is that the police will come out today encouraging people to follow the new rules, but in the next few days, if we see that people continue to disobey the new rules, it is right that the people could face a fine.
“Regulations are in place to help stop the spread of the virus, protect the NHS, and ultimately save lives.”
When asked if people should report neighbors who violate coronavirus rules, the spokesperson said: “What we want people to focus on is following the new rules and making sure they help themselves again as they do. have been done in the past to slow the spread of the virus.
“What they have seen in recent weeks is a flagrant violation of the rules, like holding large illegal parties, and the public has been contacting the police about that because they are concerned about the risk to public health.”
