The NPCC said 26,277 were issued between 17 January and 14 February, 40% of the total since the pandemic began. The NPCC chairman, Martin Hewitt, told reporters the surge in fines was a mix of tougher enforcement, targeted policing and weariness with the restrictions. “The rules are clear enough and have been around for long enough now there’s no excuse for people not to understand them,” he said. The court costs came after Kirklees council secured an injunction, which runs until 31 March, forbidding her from opening the salon. Some 402 fines have been issued by forces in England and three in Wales to people failing to self-isolate after arriving from a country on the government quarantine list up to February 14.

Source: The Guardian February 25, 2021 15:48 UTC