UK interior minister ‘would call police if neighbors had a party’ amid Covid-19 fears

British Interior Minister Priti Patel says it is right to report people who might be spreading Covid-19 by disregarding new restrictions on gatherings of more than six people.

“If I saw something that I thought was inappropriate, then quite frankly I would effectively call the police,” the minister told Sky News on Tuesday.

“It’s not about dobbing in neighbors, I think it’s all about us taking personal responsibility,” she said. “If there was a big party taking place, it would be right to call the police.”
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Coronavirus tests are now available for people in their local areas, the minister said, amid reports that those living in virus hotspots and staff in hospitals and care homes were struggling to get tested.

The majority of tests are available within a 10-mile (16km) radius, she told BBC TV. However, she conceded that in some extreme cases people wouldn’t be able to get a test location within that radius.

A total of 2,621 new positive coronavirus cases were recorded across the UK on Monday, taking the cumulative total to 371,125, according to Public Health England. It also said nine new deaths had been reported, taking the UK total since the start of the pandemic to 41,637.