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A new and stronger chapter in English coronavirus regulations begins Monday, with fines of up to £ 10,000 for people who refuse to isolate themselves when asked, and the app includes notices from people who believe others are violating the rules. rules.
The changes come with the duty of self-isolation to become law. It becomes a legal obligation if test and trace personnel tell someone to do so, but not for those who simply use the Covid-19 phone app, which is anonymous.
At the same time, the government is introducing a new £ 500 payment system for low-income people unable to work due to the mandatory 14-day self-isolation, a system the councils are implementing.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock described the two-pronged approach, aimed at creating better compliance with self-isolation rules, as “imperative” to help keep coronavirus infection rates low.
According to a statement from the health department establishing the new system, local authorities are expected to have their test and trace support schemes up and running within two weeks, and those who self-isolate before that date would receive retroactive payments as needed. .
However, the Association of Local Governments, which represents city councils, warned that it will be a “challenge” for these to be established quickly, adding that “clarity is urgently needed on how city councils will be reimbursed for the costs of setting up these schemes. and the payments themselves ”.
To be eligible for payment, people must have been told to self-isolate through testing and tracing, having tested positive for coronavirus or being in close contact with someone who has, in addition to having lost income as a result, and be the recipient of one or more of a number of benefits, including universal credit, income support, and housing benefit.
Those who do not isolate themselves when told to do so could face fines, starting at £ 1,000 and increasing to £ 10,000 for repeat offenses, or those who instigate breaches of the law, such as an employer ordering or allowing people come to work. when they shouldn’t.
Test and trace call handlers will verify those who are told to isolate themselves, and the police will take a role in areas or groups that are considered high risk, in addition to acting on the notices of neighbors or others. to detect suspected infractions, the government said the announcement.
Hancock said: “These simple steps can make a big difference in reducing the spread of the virus, but we will not hesitate to implement more measures if cases continue to increase.”
The health department announced separately that it expected the NHS and health workers to have an ‘uninterrupted supply’ of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, aprons and gowns, due to increased UK manufacturing and an arsenal of 32,000 million articles. A push to increase PPE production in the UK meant that by December, 70% of expected demand will be met domestically, he said.
The government said that, as of 9 a.m. Sunday, there had been an additional 5,693 laboratory-confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK, bringing the overall confirmed total to 434,969, and another 17 people had died within 28 days of Covid test positive. -19 as of Sunday, bringing the UK total to 41,988.
