DOUBLE COVID FINES TO £20K
Brits back stricter rules but not PM, says survey
BRITS terrified of catching Covid want fines for rule-breakers doubled to £20,000.
The stricter clampdown would win the backing of six out of 10 people, a survey for the Sunday Mirror found.
Our poll also found 58 per cent favoured closing all pubs, bars and restaurants for two weeks and stopping households mixing indoors.
Half of people believe households should also not mix outdoors and 44 per cent would accept another unlimited national lockdown.
But more than half, 55 per cent, have little or no confidence that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is the leader to steer the nation through the crisis.
Chris Hopkins, of Savanta ComRes which carried out our exclusive poll, said: “This shows the public would accept further and stricter measures.
And it indicates it’s not the PM’s policies causing lack of public confidence so perhaps it’s the man himself.”
As the R rate, which signals the number of people one person infects, hit 1.6, Brits believe tougher measures are needed to bring it down.
And 55 per cent think an indefinite national lockdown would work.
Independent Sage experts say the Government must sort out the test and trace mess if Mr Johnson’s existing tougher controls are to work.
University of St Andrews’ Professor Stephen Reicher called for an integrated strategy. He said: “Restrictions without test and trace are pointless.”
Our survey of 2,015 adults showed about eight in 10 know pubs must shut at 10pm and where they must wear face coverings.
But half were unsure about penalties for not wearing face masks or the rule of six in pubs and restaurants.
The poll also found 63 per cent thought uni students should have fees refunded if they cannot have face-toface tuition. Most think students must follow the same rules as other adults.
FAMILIES of five welders arrested and jailed for 14 days for shopping in a Tesco for their lunch have blasted “mindboggling” coronavirus rules.
The stunned men – who were led away in handcuffs in a police swoop – began their sentences this week. One relative said: “They’re in jail and yet the politicians break the rules and get away with it.
“They still don’t know what they’ve done wrong. The regulations are mind-boggling.”
The welders, aged 18 to 62 and from Doncaster, had all worn face masks during a quick shopping trip after getting off the morning ferry to Isle of Man capital Douglas.
But the masks, compulsory in UK shops, ironically led to their arrests for breaching island rules that key workers from the mainland must stay in their accommodation unless at work.
While the Isle of Man is a Crown dependency and its citizens are British, it is not in the UK and sets its own laws.
ANGRY
Just after the men reached the hotel they had booked for their two days’ work on a railway, the police arrived. A resident had tipped them off, believing the men could not be local because they all wore masks not compulsory in island shops.
Helen Smith, 38, whose husband Michael, 43, and 18-year-old son Jack are now behind bars, stormed: “They’ve been treated like serious criminals when the sensible thing was to have a word in their ear.
“It makes me so angry to think they’re in jail and yet politicians break rules and get away with it.”
Shop worker Helen told how her husband called on Tuesday to say they had arrived safely – then didn’t hear from him again until Friday when he was in prison.
“He said they were shocked when the police turned up mobhanded at the hotel,” she said. “They put them all in handcuffs and took them to the station. Jack was really upset. They only wanted to get some sandwiches for their lunch the next day.”
Lisa Fletcher, 50, mum of welder Luke, 22, insisted the workers – who arrived in Douglas by ferry from Heysham, Lancs – would not have deliberately broken the law.
She said: “The rules are different from one place to the next. Even the politicians don’t know them. But you’d never expect in a million years that going to Tesco to buy food would land you in jail.” On the same day the welders were arrested, PM Boris Johnson had to apologise for getting his own Covid rules for North East England wrong – not knowing how many people could gather indoors.
Also on Tuesday, Boris’ dad Stanley, 80, was pictured in a London newsagents without a face mask, risking a £200 fine, and later said he was “extremely sorry”.
That wouldn’t have helped him on the Isle of Man. Appearing before magistrates by video link on Thursday, all five welders – who were told to wear masks in court – pleaded guilty to failing to comply with Covid-19 restrictions under
They went to get sandwiches for their lunch. Then the police turned up mob-handed and put them all in handcuffs. Jack was really upset HELEN SMITH ON THE TRIP TO TESCO THAT LANDED WELDERS IN PRISON
the island’s Emergency Powers Act. The prosecution said a supervisor who had travelled over with the men had advised them not to enter the shop.
The men’s defence advocates told the court their exemption certificates were on the dashboard of their vehicles and they had not read them properly.
Sentencing them to 14 days in jail, magistrate chairman Belinda Pilling said the men had “closed their eyes” to the rules. The other two jailed were Robbie Rhodes, 18, and 62-year-old Christopher Leroy Lafayette. Luke’s devastated mum condemned the sentence – saying their lad had never been in trouble and had always upheld Covid rules. Lisa said: “Before he went he downloaded the test and trace app on his phone. We were saying to him, ‘Make sure you wear your face mask’.
“He’s done exactly what we said. But it turns out it’s wrong.” Dad Kevin, 53, added: “The rules are all over the place. It’s ludicrous they are in prison.”
What infuriates the families even more are the likes of Dominic Cummings and SNP MP Margaret Ferrier breaking rules here but not being arrested. Cummings, the PM’s senior adviser, drove 260 miles from London to Durham during lockdown while suffering Covid symptoms.
SNP MP Ferrier this week admitted travelling from Glasgow to speak in the Commons with Covid-19 symptoms, and then taking a train back to Scotland after testing positive. She faces calls to resign and a police investigation. Lisa said: “It’s one rule for them and another for us.”
The five workmen are expected to complete half of their 14 days’ sentence and will be returned to the mainland tomorrow. It is expected they will be put in the ferry and banned from returning to the Isle of Man.
When contacted a representative for the men’s firm, Haigh Rail Ltd, said: “We will not be commenting on that.”
There are currently no social distancing rules on Isle of Man, which has a population of about 84,000.
Pubs, cinemas and restaurants are open as usual.