Civil Liberties
“This is the worst interference with personal liberty in our history. For what is by historical standards not a very serious pandemic except for particular categories of vulnerable people who can isolate themselves voluntarily.”
-Lord Sumption, former UK Supreme Court Judge
Browse the articles related to this topic below.
Join our community on Guilded.
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.
Source: