Warrington woman fined £1,000 for failing to self-isolate on return from Greek holiday island

A Warrington woman has been fined £1,000 after failing to self-isolate when returning from holiday on a Greek island.

Police received reports that since returning from Mykonos, one of the countries included in the government’s 14-day quarantine list on for travellers arriving back to the UK, the woman had left her home on several occasions – even visiting the gym three times in the week following her return.
Local officers made a number of enquiries and were left with no option but to issue her with a fixed penalty notice of £1,000.
Superintendent Julie Westgate said: “On this occasion officers from Cheshire Police have had no choice but to issue a fixed penalty notice of this nature.
“It’s a shame we have had to do this because the majority of Cheshire residents are sticking to the rules and are doing all they can to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“Unfortunately this woman put not only herself, but others at risk by consistently breaching the regulations.
“Our officers will always engage, explain and encourage the public to make the right decision, but in this instance they had to enforce due to the blatant flouting of the rules.
“We must all continue to play our part. Cheshire Police do not want to have to enforce, but in some cases such as this, it is the only way we can respond in order to protect the community, particularly in Warrington where we have seen localised restrictions due to the rising number of positive cases.”
Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane said: “It is disappointing to see that there is a small minority of people not following the rules.
“As COVID rates increase across Cheshire, it is now more important than ever that we act responsibly and do everything we can to protect those around us.
“We must do our best to stick to the rules in order to reduce the spread of the virus.”
*Cheshire Police have not identified the woman as a fixed penalty notice is not a criminal offence.