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Social gatherings of more than six people are now illegal in England as the coronavirus ‘rule of six’ goes into effect.
As of today, people face fines of up to £ 3,200 if they fail to comply with the new measure that 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.
The “rule of six” differs slightly in Scotland and Wales and has limited exceptions including weddings and funerals, while work and education are not affected.
It applies to both indoor and outdoor meetings in England and Scotland, but only indoors in Wales, where groups of up to 30 people can meet outdoors.
The rule also applies to all ages in England, but children under the age of 11 and 12 are exempt in Wales and Scotland, respectively.
In Northern Ireland, the number of people who can gather inside a private home fell to six people from two households last month due to an increase in coronavirus cases. There, up to 15 people can meet outdoors.
The president of the Council of National Police Chiefs urged the public to “stick to the limits.”
“Demands on police service are now at levels similar to before the pandemic, making it vitally important that we all take personal responsibility, stick to the limits and prevent the spread of this deadly virus,” said Martin. Hewitt.
The Metropolitan Police said officers will be deployed in all London boroughs to patrol public spaces and respond quickly to incidents where groups gather in large numbers.
People gathered in London’s West End for the weekend before the restrictions went into effect.
“Where people just don’t listen and put everyone at risk, we will absolutely take enforcement action,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist.
The regulations allowing the rule to apply were published Sunday night, about 30 minutes before they went into effect.
The police will be able to disperse gatherings of more than six people and issue fines ranging from £ 100 to £ 3,200.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that “COVID-protected sheriffs” will also work in city centers to enforce social distancing rules.
Officials hope the hot and sunny weather forecast for Monday will not encourage people to gather in groups in outdoor spaces.
Temperatures as high as 29 ° C (84 ° F) are expected in some parts, according to the Met Office.
The new restrictions came as a survey of more than 8,000 doctors and medical students in England found that 86% believe a second coronavirus spike is likely in the next six months.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which conducted the survey, said the survey also revealed that a second peak is the “number one concern among the medical profession.”
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, Chairman of the Board of BMA, said: “With daily cases still alarmingly high and winter just around the corner, we are at a critical crossroads in the fight against this deadly virus.
“Every effort must be made to prevent a repeat of the horror and tragedy that we all experienced earlier this year.”
A government adviser told Sky News that the UK faces another national lockdown “in no time” unless people comply with the new COVID-19 restrictions.
Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, told Sophy Ridge on Sunday to the public “must act fast” to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
“If we don’t do this now, we will be back in hard lock in no time, that’s the only way we have at the moment to control this, but there are other things on the horizon,” he said.
“We have to act fast. This is not a game.”
Police shut down a number of illegal parties over the weekend as people enjoyed one last weekend of revelry before tighter coronavirus restrictions went into effect.
Bournemouth beach was full of bathers on Sunday
Nottinghamshire Police issued a ‘Reckless’ teenager fined £ 10,000 for hosting a house party in Lenton, where more than 50 guests gathered at his home.
The rate of COVID-19 transmission in the UK has risen above a critical level which means the infection is growing exponentially, official figures show.
the last estimate for R number across the UK it is between 1.0 and 1.2, according to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).
The last time it was above one was in early March.
The R number represents the average number of people that each person with coronavirus infects.
