Lawyers at the Russell Cooke law firm express concerns about new Coronavirus Regulations.
Background:
- The Health Protection (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 passed 10 Feb 2020
- Regulations were made without a draft being laid and approved by Parliament and came into effect immediately.
- This was permitted under the claim that it was necessary due to threat to human health from COVID-19.
Regulations:
- Allow the Secretary of State or a registered public health consultant to impose compulsory detention and isolation of people suspected of having COVID-19.
- Allow forced testing and screening for 48 hours.
- Power to restrict a person’s travel and other activities and to restrict a person’s contact with specified people.
- The police are given power under to enforce the regulations where a person is not willing to be isolated voluntarily using ‘reasonable force’.
- An isolated or detained individual will not be free to leave.
- Refusal to comply is a criminal offence punishable by a fine of up to £1,000.
- There are also powers in the regulations which envisage the detention of children, which could present its own issues.
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