What a wonderful way to devote valuable time, money and effort
The Orwellian nightmare may soon be coming to an end but there’s still a few more chapters in this particular story yet. Step right up, Priti Patel and her next provocative project.
As reported in multiple outlets, it is believed that the UK’s Home Office is set to send out police officers and security contractors to around 10,000 homes a day, in an attempt to make sure Brits isolate properly.
Following the resumption of non-essential foreign travel on Monday, it is said that Home Secretary will order daily spot checks to make sure people are quarantining after returning from holiday.
It is understood that the majority of the initial call-outs will be to will be coordinated by private security contractors (sure they got a cheap deal) to check whether those returning from an amber-listed country are adhering to their ten days self-isolation period. Should they fail to answer the door or comply in any way, the police will then be called.
According to analysts, over 270,000 people will have travelled to amber countries by Sunday and more than 100 flights from India have landed in the UK since it was placed on the red list. Those who break quarantine rules face fines of up to £10,000.
This crackdown on those who must remain in lockdown follows growing concern surrounding Covid-19 variants, with the Indian strain said to present the biggest threat. Thousands of cases have already been detected in Britain and earlier this week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned it could “spread like wildfire” among those unvaccinated.
Speaking The Daily Mail, Patel said that “People will not go unchecked”, before adding that “[s]ignificant resources have been put in place – millions of pounds – in terms of the follow-up checking of people around their testing and making sure they stay at home. It has been stepped up.”
While backbench Tory MPs have similarly warned that a condescending or ‘heavy handed’ approach will only further exacerbate and jeopardise things as the June 21st date for ending lockdown looms, she’s no stranger for provoking the general public as we’ve seen all too well over recent months.
The Police Crime and Sentencing Bill and attempts to deport asylum seekers to a third country for processing before they’ve even entered the UK are just a couple of instances in which the Home Office and the UK government in general have displayed that not only do we not trust them but they don’t trust us either.
Understandably, part of the added frustration is that many people still remain unclear as to whether they are allowed to travel to certain countries or not. Though Hancock said people “should not travel to amber-list countries for a holiday”, this was later complicated by Environment Secretary, George Eustice, who said people can if it is to “visit family.”
Yet more mixed messaging, more confusion, more contempt. Change the record, will you?
