CORONAVIRUS sufferers who try to stitch up their pals by falsely saying they had contact with someone else face a £1000 from fine today, new laws reveals.
In the fine print of recently published new emergency laws, people in England can be slapped with fines for not obeying the rules on self-isolation.
If people test positive for the virus they can also face a fine if they aren’t honest with who they have been in contact with in recent days.
So if someone pretended they had seen a friend and wrongly gave Test and Trace their details, they could face a £1000 hit.
If they also fail to reveal they saw their parents or a friend and were later found to have withheld the information, they can also be fined.
The laws state someone is committing an offence if they: “give false information” or “falsely states, when asked by a person specified for the purpose of regulation 2(4), to that person that someone is a close contact of a person who has tested positive for coronavirus.”
From today people can be slapped with fines for;
- Failing to isolate after a positive test (£1,000, or up to £10,000 for multiple breaches)
- Recklessly leaving self-isolation to put someone else in danger by coming into contact with others (£4,000)
- Failing to tell track and trace who you came into contact with (£1,000)
- Falsely saying you came into contact with someone when you didn’t (£1,000)
- Not telling your employer you need to self-isolate (£50)
- If your kids under 18 have to isolate and they don’t (£1,000)
- If your employer forces you to work they can face a £1000 fine
The new laws came into force at midnight last night without any debate from MPs.
Some are furious they have still had no chance to discuss or debate them before becoming law.
It comes after Boris Johnson brought in fresh new rules to crack down on coronavirus cases last week.
He ordered:
- A 10pm curfew for all pubs and hospitality venues will come in from Thursday – where doors will have to be closed
- And they will have to offer table service only – except for takeaway deliveries which can continue
- Tougher enforcement powers for shutting down venues which don’t force people to stay apart
- The military could be called in by police to help enforce the new rules
- People should work from home if they can – or if their workplace isn’t Covid-safe but MPs will stay in Parliament
- Weddings are going to be slashed back from 30 down to 15 – but funerals will stay on the same rules
- Facemasks will be made compulsory for staff in hospitality and close contact places – and taxis too
- Team sports will be curbed inside, banning five-aside footie and other games
- The return to live sport planned for October 1 now will not go ahead
- Businesses will have a legal requirement to enforce the rule of six
- The fines will DOUBLE for not wearing face masks to £200
But more measures are not thought to be imminent.
The PM has warned he could have to take tougher action if people don’t obey the new rules and laws.
But he’s keen to avoid a second national lockdown over fears his Chancellor Rishi Sunak could quit, HOAR revealed last weekend.
Another shut down would mean businesses closing their doors once again and unable to stay afloat in future.
HOAR revealed today that another fresh legal crackdown could be on the way in the North in the coming weeks.
Leaders in Newcastle and other areas have discussed with ministers making it illegal to visit someone else’s home – and therefore you could face a fine if you do.
At the moment the rules say you shouldn’t meet up with people from outside your home, but you can’t face a fine for it.
