Police take a stern line with sailors’ families seeing off ship
FAMILY members who gathered in Portsmouth to wave off the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth were forced to wear face coverings after armed police reminded them of coronavirus rules.
Dozens of well-wishers lined the seafront as the £3billion warship left Portsmouth Naval Base to take part in a series of sea trials and training. The carrier will spend the next few weeks at sea before its first deployment in spring.
But those waving off loved ones expressed surprise when they were challenged by armed police officers who reminded them of Covid-19 restrictions, and told them they needed to wear face masks.
There is no legal requirement to wear face masks in open spaces, but the gathering itself could have constituted a breach of the regulations as the country remains in lockdown.
One person said a large number of well-wishers had turned out, including around 30 on the viewing platform at the Round Tower who were not necessarily adhering to the two-metre social distancing rule.
The witness said: “There were three officers, two armed, and they were politely reminding people to socially distance and to wear face masks even though they were outside. They were not being heavy handed, but a couple of people were complaining”
Figures released last week showed that there has been a significant surge in the number of coronavirus fines being handed out, with more than 900 a day now being issued by police forces.