Ealing police attended hundreds of possible coronavirus rule breaches over the festive period, as today Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” over rising cases.

Ealing Council threatened rule-breakers with fines this week, and said it would take a zero-tolerance approach to any business owners flouting Covid regulations.

Hospitals in the capital are at risk of being overrun by the virus, which was first spotted a year ago.

Lisa Wheatcroft is the chief operating officer of Rush Hair and Beauty, which has a salon in Ealing that has been closed since the government imposed a national lockdown.

Wheatcroft said the lockdown continues to put pressure on their workforce.

She added: “It’s incredibly tough. 

“It affects us from a business perspective but also from a team perspective.”

Wheatcroft said for Rush’s approximately 800 employees, who are furloughed, lockdown is problematic as staff do not know when they can work again or what money they will make this year.

She added: “It’s very difficult when you’ve got clients booked to have the lockdown imposed immediately with no kind of planning or preparation time. 

“Just the upheaval for people, in terms of open, close, open, close, and very little guidance of when and what will be expected when we come out of it.”

Over the festive period, police officers took action against approximately 1 in 20 of more than 300 premises visited.

Fifteen businesses were told to improve their Covid-secure measures while another four business owners received prohibition notices, which close or restrict the business’s activity for a week. 

Police also issued a number of fines to customers who had broken travel restrictions.

Ealing Council has reminded businesses they must follow coronavirus rules to mitigate against the spread of the virus and will continue to work with police to ensure businesses follow the rules.

 

Featured image credit: Ealing Council