Romance has become somewhat of a complex affair in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Adding to the hardship of isolation and loneliness for many Brits during lockdown, the new so-called sex ban in the north of the UK may add to frustration among the public.
The new rules apply to Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, Burnley and other locations in the northern part of Britain. The government aims to cut down the infections rates in these locations by introducing a set of restrictions.
Here, finally, 5 days after the North of England lockdown was announced, are the legal regulations which underpin it.
— Adam Wagner (@AdamWagner1) August 4, 2020
They come into force tomorrow 5 August (no time! So 12:01am I guess) and do not (cannot) apply to anything which happened before thathttps://t.co/6ZazKlMz1m pic.twitter.com/dZRL33v2PJ
The government guideline provides specifics in its freshly published regulations:
"A ‘gathering’ when two or more people are present together in the same place in order to engage in any form of social interaction with each other, or to undertake any other activity with each other;"
The ban does not however apply to hotels, campsites, caravan parks or guest houses and bed and breakfast accommodation.
Anyone who breaches the regulation could face a £100 fine. There are exemptions to the new measure, including single parents with children aged under 18.
According to the Public Health England, “these Regulations are made in response to the serious and imminent threat to public health which is posed by the incidence and spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in England.”
