Police to lock up infected who won’t isolate
Police will be given draconian powers to quarantine those suspected of having coronavirus for up to six weeks – on pain of a £1,000 fine.
The laws are contained in a wideranging emergency Bill designed to give the Government tough authority to deal with the outbreak.
it will give ministers the power to close ports, ration social care and order food suppliers to give details of their stocks.
Amid fears funeral firms will be overwhelmed, officials will be able to force relatives to cremate loved ones and direct where they should be buried.
constables and immigration officers will be able to detain people so they can be screened and assessed for covid-19. Those who do not do so will be committing a crime and face fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to comply, attempt to abscond or provide misleading information.
The covid-19 Bill also gives ministers the authority to ban mass gatherings and take measures which could effectively put cities in lockdown.
it will enable police and public health workers to place restrictions on a person’s ‘movements and travel’, ‘activities’ and ‘contact with others’.
Ministers will also be allowed to shore up the NHS by recruiting a new volunteer army, ensuring those who give up jobs to help local hospitals are given money to compensate for lost wages and expenses.
it foresees thousands of health workers being redrafted elsewhere in the NHS – such as dentists giving jabs in hospitals – and ensures they will not be sued if they make a mistake in an area out of their expertise. Regarding law and order, many court cases will take place via video-link – and if a coroner suspects someone has died of coronavirus then there will be no inquest.
The range of powers, which will be pushed through the commons on the nod on Monday, are unprecedented in peacetime – and ministers insist they will be lifted when the crisis is over. But the wording suggests they could be in place for two years.
Silkie carlo, director of campaign group Big Brother Watch, said: ‘These are the most draconian powers ever proposed in peacetime Britain. They risk permanently rebalancing the relationship between citizens and State.’
John Apter, chairman of the Police Federation of england and Wales, said it will be difficult for his colleagues to deal with patients as if they were prisoners. Under the legislation, constables will be allowed to detain suspected sufferers for an initial period of up to 48 hours and refer them for screening. if they have coronavirus, they will be directed into quarantine in a ‘specified place’ for 14 days. This period can be extended for two further periods of up to 14 days if doctors still have concerns. According to documents published alongside the Bill, without new powers the police would be in a ‘weak’ position.
Yesterday, Scotland’s constitutional Relations Secretary Mike Russell signalled MSPs would back the UK Government’s emergency legislation. He said the coronavirus crisis was ‘unprecedented’ and the legislation going before the commons ‘is the result of a great deal of intensive work between the UK Government and devolved administrations – unique and extraordinary given the virtual stand-off on other legislation... we are grateful to everyone who has been part of that process’.
‘Draconian powers’