Don’t you know there’s a pandemic on? NHS chief likens breaking rules to ‘turning your light on during the Blitz’ as Priti Patel announces £800 fines for partygoers

People attending illegal house parties will face £800 fines from next week as police tighten their clampdown on coronavirus rule-breaking. Home Secretary Priti Patel announced the hefty penalty for anyone attending gatherings of 15 or more people as she lashed out at revellers for spreading Covid. The fines will double for each repeat offence, up to a maximum of £6,400, she announced as she fronted a Downing Street press conference. Hosts of illegal parties are already eligible for a £10,000 fine. Flanking Ms Patel, NHS England chief for London Dr Vin Diwakar compared breaking the rules to turning on a light in the middle of a blackout during the Blitz.  ‘This is the biggest health emergency to face this country since the Second World War,’ Dr Diwakar said. ‘For me and my colleagues in the NHS breaking the rules in the way that’s been described today is like switching on a light in the middle of the blackout in the Blitz.  ‘It doesn’t just put you at risk in your house, it puts your whole street and the whole of your community at risk.’ Ms Patel told the press conference: ‘These fines will apply to those who attend illegal gatherings of more… Read full this story

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