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Boris Johnson orders ‘enforcement blitzkrieg’ on pubs that flout the ‘rule of six’
BORIS Johnson is plotting a Covid rules "enforcement blitzkrieg" tomorrow after Britain's top scientists warned Britain could see 200 deaths a day again by November.
The clampdown will see pubs and restaurants shut down by patrols if they allow punters to flout the "rule of six" - and groups could be broken up and fined.
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After shocking warnings from chief medic Chris Whitty that the UK death total could yet soar by thousands, Mr Johnson is preparing to unveil a package of tough new measures.
Ahead of a COBRA meeting of ministers and law enforcement tomorrow morning, a senior Whitehall source told The Sun: “Every option comes with a very big stick.”
In a Cabinet conference call on Saturday, ministers were warned that the death toll in the UK could yet soar by thousands if action is not taken now.
But Mr Johnson is under massive pressure from his top team not to plunge Britain into a further economic crisis with more stringent lockdown measures like completely closing the hospitality sector.
A government source said: “Police and councils will be told to act immediately when they see the rules being broken.
"Lots of pubs and restaurants are following the law, but others are not.
"Those that flout it will be shut down."
ENFORCEMENT DRIVE
Police are currently using a “4 Es” strategy - “Engage, Explain, Encourage, Enforce" - to implement the virus rules.
But some Ministers want the Enforcement option to be increased before further lockdown measures are imposed.
Police guidance states "officers may remove a person to the place where they live, using reasonable force only if it is a necessary and proportionate means of ensuring compliance" during the Enforcement phase.
The Sun understands a range of new enforcement measures will be pushed by the Prime Minister in an address to the nation pencilled in for tomorrow evening after updating MPs on Tuesday morning.
It will sit alongside the measures to limit “unnecessary social contact” hinted at by Mr Whitty on Monday.
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In a bleak press conference, Mr Whitty and Chief Scientist Sir Patrick Vallance warned the daily death rate would return to hundreds per day by November if the virus cases are allowed to continue doubling every seven days.
Britain could face 50,000 new coronavirus cases a day in just three weeks and deaths could soar if the bug continues to spread at its current rate.
Sir Patrick warned: “In every age group we have seen an increase… It is now estimated that roughly 70,000 people in the UK have Covid infection and that about 6,000 people per day are getting the infection.
“If that continues unabated and this grows doubling every seven days then what you see… is by mid October we would end up with something like 50,000 cases per day."
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Professor Whitty added that everyone has a part to play in stopping the disease, saying: "This is not someone else's problem, this is all of our problems.
“We must see this as a six month problem – we have to take this collectively very seriously.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Earlier this morning Matt Hancock
Mr Hancock said "no final decisions" have been made but warned Brits they could face even tighter restrictions as the UK tries desperately to get a second wave of the virus under control.
Terrifying slide warns of possible 50,000 per day cases and 200 deaths per day if coronavirus spreads unabated
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