Woman fined for refusing to self-isolate and going to the gym after holiday

A woman from Warrington has been hit with a £1,000 fine after failing to isolate after a holiday to Mykonos in Greece.

Cheshire Police were alerted to the woman, who was seen leaving her home several times after her return from the Greek island.

In the week after returning from her holiday, she even attended the gym three times. 

Officers followed it up after a number of enquiries and were left with no option but to issue the woman with the 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.”

Find the latest rules regarding isolation after travel here.