Boris Johnson announced new strict rules on Saturday which will see heavy penalties ushered in for rule-breakers. As of September 28, anyone caught ignoring the rules risks incurring a £1,000 fine while repeat offenders could be fined up to £10,000. Express.co.uk conducted an exclusive poll asking readers if the Prime Minister’s latest measure designed to reduce the spread of coronavirus was step too far.
Asked if people should be forced to fork out £10,000 for failing to quarantine themselves, 4,294 voters (57 percent) said yes.
While 3,009 readers (42 percent) said Britons should not face such a hefty penalty.
Only 83 (one percent) of respondents said they didn’t know.
A total of 7,386 readers took part in the poll which ran from 10.30am to 9pm on Sunday, September 20.
Many readers argued that the Government’s latest rule is unrealistic.
One person said, given the savage financial blow the lockdown dealt to many households, individuals would simply not have that sort of cash to spare.
One reader wrote: “For most, having the political jackboot applied imposing fines of £10K or £10million makes no difference they won’t be able to pay.
“Government is becoming more draconian because they can’t show real evidence for what they’re doing.”
A second questioned what would happen to members of the public who did not have the means to pay up.
They said: “I let out property. What will happen when my tenants can’t pay the fine?”
READ MORE: Coronavirus update: How much is the fine for breaking quarantine?
Yet another reader fumed: “What use is a £10,000 fine when 50 percent of the country don’t earn that a year!”
But others backed Mr Johnson’s rollout of the fines in England.
One pensioner said he was sick and tired of abiding by the restrictions while watching youths blatantly flout social distancing rules.
He called for brazen youngsters to be “rounded up” by police if caught shunning rules designed to curb the spread of COVID-19.
He said: “I am 70 so would – yet again – be required to self-isolate.
“I would not mind but you see pictures of thousands of the young who think they are invulnerable and immune partying like mad and inevitably spreading the disease.
“They should be rounded up wholesale and fined or locked up for thinking they know better than the rest of us.”
In addition to tighter rules on social gatherings across the country, several cities and regions in Britain have had ‘local lockdowns’ imposed, limiting even more strictly when, where and how many people can meet up socially.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan wants fast action to halt the worsening spread in London, a spokeswoman for Khan said ahead of meetings on Monday when authorities in the capital will formulate recommended next steps for ministerial approval.
A spokeswoman for Mr Khan said: “The mayor wants fast action as we cannot risk a delay, as happened in March.
“It is better for both health and business to move too early than too late.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock was asked on Times Radio about the possibility of Londoners being told to work from home later this week, and said: “Well, I wouldn’t rule it out.”
