Alcester South SNT Update
Coronavirus (Covid-19) – Advice and information about the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the measures we’re taking to keep the public safe.
We understand people may be worried and seeking advice and information. We’d like to assure you that we are working to keep you safe, we are still responding to emergency and high priority calls. We’d urge you, if it’s not an emergency or urgent, to use our online services instead of calling 101. To help us keep our resources focused where they are most needed, we’re asking everyone to please follow the ‘stay at home’ measures set out by the Government and use our online services where possible.
You should only leave the house for one of four reasons:
- •shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
- •going out for one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household – once a day
- •any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
- •travelling only where essential – which includes to and from work, if you’re unable to work from home
These four reasons are exceptions – even when doing these things, you should be minimising time spent outside of the home and ensuring you are two metres apart from anyone outside of your household and washing your hands when you return home.
We understand it can be difficult to know what to do, or not do; this situation does need all of us to take a moment and think about what we’re doing and to assess the potential risk. This is a virus that spreads by human physical contact. It’s sensible to do everything you can to minimise the amount of physical contact that you have with other people. We appreciate that the vast majority of people are following the stay at home measures and we’re very grateful to them for doing so. We’d encourage you to continue to follow the measures; we are patrolling and advising people if we see them doing things which are contrary to the government advice. Enforcement is a last resort for us and we’d prefer to work with the public to resolve situations through clear communication and explaining why they might want to behave differently first.
The new police powers
New public health regulations have been put in place to strengthen the powers the police have to reduce the spread of the virus.
Individuals will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:
- •shopping for basic necessities, for example food and medicine, which must be as infrequent as possible
- •going out for one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household
- •any medical need, or to provide care or to help a vulnerable person
- •travelling to and from work, but only where you cannot work from home
Participating in gatherings of more than two people in public spaces is also not permitted except in very limited circumstances, for example, where it is for essential work purposes.
To ensure people stay at home and avoid non-essential travel, if members of the public do not comply the police may:
- •instruct them to go home, leave an area or disperse
- •ensure parents are taking necessary steps to stop their children breaking these rules
- •issue a fixed penalty notice of £60, which will be lowered to £30 if paid within 14 days
- •issue a fixed penalty notice of £120 for second time offenders, doubling on each further repeat offence
Individuals who do not pay a fixed penalty notice under the regulations could be taken to court, with magistrates able to impose unlimited fines. If an individual continues to refuse to comply, they will be acting unlawfully, and the police may arrest them where deemed proportionate and necessary. We’re following ‘The 4 E’s’: Engage. Explain. Encourage. Enforce. We will, in the first instance, try to engage with someone who appears to be contravening the guidance and explain why and how they might want to adjust their behaviour to reduce the risk to public safety and health.
Tell us about a possible breach of coronavirus (Covid-19) measures
Is it an emergency? If so, please call 999 now.
- •is there a threat to life (including road traffic incidents where someone is injured or the road is blocked)
- •does it feel like the situation could get heated or violent very soon
- •is there a risk of serious damage to property
- •is a serious offence in progress
- •there’s serious disruption to the public or there could be
If you’re concerned about a business or venue that’s open and you don’t think it should be, please check the guidance on this first. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close/further-businesses-and-premises-to-close-guidance
We’re seeking to resolve situations where people appear to be or are contravening the government advice on physical social distancing and the stay at home measures without resorting to enforcement and issuing fines. Please only tell us about something if you feel there is a significant issue or breach which you think we need to know about. This can be done online – https://www.warwickshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/c19/tell-us-about-possible-breach-coronavirus-measures/
HM Government Guidance – Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can’t do – Published 29 March 2020