Coronavirus: Portsmouth public health director urges residents to stick to new rule of six law

From today gatherings of more than six people, indoors and outdoors, are against the law with people facing fines of up to £3,200 if they do not abide by the new rule in a bid to curb a rise on coronavirus cases.

Helen Atkinson, director of public health at Portsmouth City Council, told The News she was proud of the city for sticking to previous lockdown rules and hopes residents will continue to impress.

The latest infection rate in Portsmouth was 13.5 per 100,000 up from 7.4 with 29 new cases in the seven days to September 10.

In total the city has seen 594 cases and there have been 230 deaths recorded at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham.

Ms Atkinson said: ‘I want to thank the residents for adhering to the rules and I know it can feel like the rules are changing quickly but the government has asked us to reduce the number of people we are seeing in order to keep people safe.

‘We have worked with all our partners in the city, including the NHS, the university and the naval base, to make sure we are all giving the same message and it is all about communication.

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‘I have two daughters in their twenties and I know that young people are feeling frustrated with the rules. We do want people to go out but we want them out in a safe way.’

The new law will not apply to schools and workplaces and exemptions will also apply for weddings, funerals and organised team sports in a Covid-secure way.

Gatherings of more than six people will be allowed where the bubble is larger than six.

The government hopes the new law will make it easier for the police to deal with illegal gatherings

Downing Street said The National Police Chiefs’ Council will set out further guidance for officers on how to respond to unlawful gatherings.

SEE ALSO: The new coronavirus ‘rule of six’ comes into effect today - here are the regulations across the UK

It comes after policing minister Kit Malthouse admitted on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that it will take ‘two or three days’ to get the information to officers so they know how to interpret the new regulation.

He also said concerned neighbours should ring the non-emergency police phone number to report any violations of the law.

The News asked readers if they would call the cops on their Covid-19 rule-breaching neighbours.

Dan Everett said: ‘At the start of lockdown, I reported a neighbour on three separate occasions for mass gatherings in the car park behind the maisonettes we were living in. The third time the police arrived an hour too late. I hate to say it, but it's pointless!’

Dannii Cuadrado added: 'What a waste of 101 resources.

‘Also, I’m in a support bubble with my sister and her family, therefore exempt. Together we make a total of nine. How would the neighbours ever know this?'

Ms Atkinson said: ‘We have been working with the police and I have had a number of discussions with them. We don’t want to fine people.

‘A fine is a fine but we want people sticking to the rules to save lives.’

Ms Atkinson also echoed the importance of the government’s new hands, face and space slogan.

She added: ‘It is about balance of three things: keeping people safe, responding to the needs of the economy and people’s emotional wellbeing.

‘Making sure we are washing our hands is still so important and when I have been going to the supermarket, and I have taken a couple of trains recently, people have been wearing their masks and keeping socially distanced.

‘It is the new normal and, like in Game of Thrones, winter is coming and we need to keep all those measures for coronavirus and the colds, coughs, sniffles and flu that always comes at that time of year.’

Infection rates in Gosport were down to 4.7 per 100,000 from 5.9 in the seven days to September 10

Havant was at 7.1 per up from 2.4, while Fareham’s latest rate is 12 per 100,000 up from 6.9.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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