Police may soon have the power to detain people who put public health at risk by refusing to self-isolate.
The government’s emergency bill, which is being rushed through Parliament, will allow police and immigration officers to support and enforce public health measures including powers to detain people and put them in appropriate isolation facilities if necessary to protect public health.
Government officials say that measures in the coronavirus bill are temporary, proportionate to the threat, will only be used when strictly necessary and will be in place for as long as required to respond to the situation.
They are intended to protect life and the nation’s public health and ensure NHS and social care staff are supported to deal with significant extra pressure on the health system.
The bill will give powers to allow recently retired NHS staff and social workers to return to work without any negative repercussions to their pensions.
NHS staff will also be covered by a state-backed insurance scheme to ensure they can care for patients if, for example, they are moving outside their day-to-day duties while making use of their skills and training.
Volunteers will have extra employment safeguards, allowing them to pause their main jobs for up to 4 weeks while they help care for patients in the health and care system, and will receive a flat rate of compensation to mitigate lost earnings and expenses.
The bill will also:
– allow rrangements for statutory sick pay for those self-isolating without symptoms from day one
– allow small businesses to reclaim statutory sick pay payments from HMRC
– allow more phone or video hearings for court cases to stop the spread of the virus in courts
– enable Border Force to temporarily suspend operations at airports or transport hubs if there are insufficient resources to maintain border security
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has said:
“We are doing everything we can to protect lives and support the NHS, guided by the best scientists and clinicians in the world.
“The new measures we will be introducing in the Emergency Coronavirus Bill this week will only be used when it is absolutely necessary and must be timed to maximise their effectiveness, but crucially they give the government the powers it needs to protect lives.
“By planning for the worst and working for the best we will get through this, but this is a national effort and we must all work together ‒ from businesses prioritising the welfare of their employees, to people thoroughly washing their hands.
“I also want to pay tribute to our brilliantly selfless NHS and social care staff who are working tirelessly to care for our friends and loved ones in this unprecedented period”.
Good thing to. There will be people out there, not necessarily on the island, hopefully…??! Who will think they have the right to do exactly what they want and not stay indoors. Anyone who thinks they can do this is a BIG TIME IDIOT and deserves to be locked up.
Then supply more masks, hospitals running out
Arrest the filthy chavs spitting in the street, these are the spreaders.
@Gav/Bec And arrest people with filthy attitudes.
Pathetic…. for a start, the flu kills more people per day than corona, but do they do this when the flu is going round?? Get a grip!!
Would be more productive to arrest people coughing in the street without covering their mouth up and greedy inconsiderate selfing ones clearing out the supplies others might need. The panic buy goods need to be behind the counter like the booze and cigarettes so they can be rationed to give us all a fair chance. Plod are going to be victimizing the easy prey again trying to get to work or out trying to get supplies. What a pointless idea by the Tories once again with their non caring attitude towards ordinary people.
This is a good idea because so many people just don’t get it