Covid rules: People should ‘inform themselves’, says minister

October 22nd, 2020 Royaltygist News 0 comments 1

Covid rules: People should 'inform themselves', says minister

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On Wednesday, police officers told the Home Affairs Select Committee that coronavirus restrictions were clear and easy to enforce in the spring, but the tier system introduced this month has made it harder.

Assistant Chief Constable Owen Weatherill, one officer leading the response to the pandemic in England, said he has asked the government to simplify its messages to make them easier for the public to understand.

He told MPs he initially thought there would be "simplified, consistent tiers" under the new alert system – but nuances were "creeping in".

That, he said, leads to people becoming "worn down, confused and less likely to comply" because "they don't know what to comply with".

media captionCovid tier lockdown: What is the tier lockdown system in England?

Mr Weatherill said there was further confusion because recent changes mixed regulations, which are enforceable by the police, with guidance, which is not.

Sometimes the police had not seen regulations drafted by the Department of Health until they had come into force, he said.

"I think introducing them in the way that we have done has introduced greater confusion," Mr Weatherhill added.

Graphic on measures in the new three-tier system for England

The committee was also told that only around half of the fixed penalty notices issued during the pandemic have been paid.

Officers told MPs they are focusing on clear breaches of the law, like illegal raves, rather than fining members of the public who are confused.

Andy Rhodes, Chief Constable of Lancashire said his area had been through up to five changes in the rules – and that breaches increased as it moved from tier two to tier three.

"It was almost as if people felt we'll have a last blast," he said.

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