Police urge people in England to respect Covid ‘rule of six’

Police chiefs have urged the public in England to take personal responsibility and observe the new “rule of six” regulations following a weekend rife with illegal gatherings. Overall crime dropped dramatically during the coronavirus lockdown, when police were handed powers to enforce regulations designed to limit the spread of the disease. But Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said demand for the police was now close to that before the outbreak of the pandemic and urged the public to do their part by limiting gatherings indoors and outdoors to six people. Hewitt said: “Preventing the spread of coronavirus is a shared effort, and police are playing our part alongside government, businesses, hospitality owners, local authorities and others.