Fine people who are travelling 'without good cause', MP suggests

Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton Kevin Hollinrake said people from parts of the country in higher tiers had travelled to the areas before they were placed in Tier 3 from today.

Speaking in the Commons, he said: “We saw lots of people from other parts of the country that were in higher tiers travel down into York and North Yorkshire because of our greater freedoms.”

And he said a “shorter, sharper shock” might help through closing schools for “a longer period” to try to bring infection rates down quicker to aid the reopening of the economy.

He added: “We would definitely want to move travel restrictions from guidance to being an offence. That would prevent a lot of the travel we are seeing, with many people moving from different parts of the country into our area, which is increasing infection rates.”

And he said: “When the police have used their powers in terms of mixing within hospitality venues or households, that has been very effective, and the word has gone round quickly. It would have a similar effect if we started to fine people for travelling without good cause.”

Hull West and Hessle Labour MP Emma Hardy said she also supported the new restrictions, but she said: “I fear that the Government will lose support for these restrictions and their tiering system if people continue to see their livelihoods go and their life’s work destroyed. Whenever they announce tiers and restrictions, surely at the same time the Government should be putting out an economic statement telling people how jobs must be saved.”

And she added: “I am in danger of thinking that the opening of these [Nightingale] hospitals was in fact just a publicity stunt, but surely I must be wrong.”