People could be fined £10,000 if they try to falsify a Covid pass or test result, according to laws due to be brought into force by the Government in England.
Laws to introduce Covid passes, due to be debated in Parliament on Tuesday, have now been published.
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Entry to Venues and Events) (England) Regulations 2021 make it an offence to make, adapt, supply or offer to supply “false evidence of Covid status to another person” which is known to be “false or misleading” and this will be punishable by a fixed penalty notice (FPN).
Other offences under the regulations also could result in fines for breaking the rules. These include a £1,000 FPN in the first instance, reduced to £500 if paid within 14 days, for example for venues who do not comply with the rules or ignore improvement notices issued by councils.
The fines double for the second and third offences (£2,000 and then £4,000), jumping to £10,000 for the fourth or any subsequent offences thereafter.
Some of the rules contained within The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Entry to Venues and Events) (England) Regulations 2021 come into force on Tuesday, while others are enacted at 6am on Wednesday.
The majority of the rules will expire on January 26 but some requirements could be in place until April 26, unless the Government amends or scraps the law in the meantime.
Human rights lawyer Adam Wagner, who interprets coronavirus regulations on Twitter for the public, said: “Absolutely absurd that these regulations have been published less than 24 hours before the vote. They are so complex they should have had months of debate like a proper law.”
