Important changes to lockdown/self-isolation regulations from 5pm

The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (All Tiers and Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

£800 'house party' FPN & police can now access track & trace data

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/97/contents/made

“Large gathering offence”

As trailed by Home Secretary last week there is now a fixed penalty notice of £800 (or £400 if you pay within 14 days) for participating in an gathering of over 15 people in a private residence

Fixed Penalty Notices double for each subsequent “large gathering offence” up to £6,400

Compare:
- Ordinary fixed penalty notice is £200 or £100 if paid in 14 days
- Holding or being involved in the holding of a gathering of over 30 people is £10,000

Second big change:

Since September has been a legal requirement to sell-isolate if you test positive/notified by Track & Trace of exposure to someone else who tested positive

Police can now be given access to NHS Track & Trace data if for the purpose of enforcement/prosecution

This will make it easier for police to enforce people breaking self-isolation rules. Currently there has been practically no enforcement.

Data says only a small proportion of people meant to be self-isolating are fully doing so. https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1353678834143518722?s=20

But obviously this raises important human rights questions because police will be given access to information about our movements and social interactions.

They are only permitted to use that data for the purposes of Covid rules enforcement - but will they?

- Will data be kept safe and secure?
- Can police resist the temptation of using the data for other criminal enforcement purposes?
- Do we want the police having this information at all?
- Is enforcement going to make things better? Or make people less willing to share info?

As I said in the tweet quoted above, track & trace has mostly failed but we don't know if because police haven't been able to enforce. Could equally be lack of follow up, bad messaging, basic incompetence. As with all things Covid related, don't assume enforcement is the answer

Covid regulations table now updated https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ne4zhPYAZK8G867D1Iz0Gg2ZJFLGmF2K/view?usp=sharing

Important point made by @mikarv that the ability for the police to access Track & Trace data does *not* extend to data caught by the NHS phone app. See my thread on the self-isolation law https://twitter.com/AdamWagner1/status/1310282800940146689?s=20

I also made a YouTube video on the self-isolation law - nb. as the description says the self-isolation rules have subsequently been amended to reduce the isolation times down from 14 to 10 days in certain circumstances

Good question. As far as I can tell (as usually you have to piece together two bits of law to figure it out) it is the contact details (including name, address), the notification of positive test/exposure, the period of isolation. So...

... should not include the details of who they came into contact with, however the police may be able to figure that out if they piece together multiple notifications given at the same time.

Don’t forget the police don’t necessarily want to be doing this either https://twitter.com/adamwagner1/status/1348361591188811781