Police have been given the powers to serve on the spot fines of £30 if people continue to ignore the government’s new stay at home orders.
After the Prime Minister announced the country is to refrain from going outside unless for one of four reasons, a government spokesman said: “The Prime Minister issued a clear instruction on behalf of the Government on the actions the public are required to take to help prevent the spread of the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.
“As with existing laws, the overwhelming majority of the public can be expected to follow the rules without any need for enforcement action.
“We would expect that compliance to begin immediately.”
Discussing the penalty being set at a low amount the spokesperson confirmed if the fine was not enough to deter people from going outside, they could increase: “we will keep this under review and can increase it significantly if it is necessary to ensure public compliance”.
