Cops WON’T arrest people for leaving the country despite £5,000 fine in new Covid laws, senior officer reveals
POLICE won't arrest people leaving the country despite new Covid laws that risk a £5,000 fine, a senior officer has confirmed today.
People in England and Wales face an official holiday ban from Monday - with the threat of a £5,000 fine for escaping the country.
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National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) chairman Martin Hewitt insisted officers would fine anyone found flouting Covid rules to go on holiday.
But he said barring people from travelling is a matter for UK Border Force, adding: "We are not simply going to arrest people because they are trying to leave the country."
Under the new Covid laws from March 29 people will be officially banned from going abroad without a reasonable excuse.
Previously the holiday ban was implied, as it was not one of the reasons people are allowed to leave their homes.
HOLIDAYS BANNED
The ban on non-essential foreign travel, which technically lasts until June 30 under new Covid regulations, was approved by MPs debating emergency Covid powers in parliament last night .
But effectively there's no change for holidays as they are already banned.
Ministers are set to make a final call on holidays on April 5 or April 12, with nobody legally able go on holiday abroad before May 17, according to Boris Johnson's lockdown roadmap.
It comes as NPCC data shows 508 fines were issued by police in England to people failing to self-isolate after arriving from a country on the Government's quarantine list up to March 14.
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Mr Hewitt said police have beefed up the number of officers in ports and airports.
Cops are also continuing to carry out checks of people who should be self-isolating.