Correction: the legislation was published 3 mins before midnight, thereby upholding a key tenet of our laws: that they should be visible to and understandable by those expected to obey them.
If you don't know already let me please caution you that from today -in certain contexts - "mingling" is now illegal.
Anyone living in a house with 6 or more individuals, please note that you may not allow one further individual inside the house without risking prosecution - unless they are from a "linked household".
I am not sure if this includes the arresting Police Officers or not; but will clarify in due course.
Meanwhile Police Minister (or should that be Minister for Police?) Kit Malthouse has urged good citizens to phone Police if they witness bad citizens breaking the "rule of six" laws.
www.expressandstar.com/news/uk-news/2020...ule-of-six-breaches/
I am sure we are all agreed this is necessary to prevent millions of deaths; and please ignore "glass half empty" types who say that Police don't have resources to go to your house if you have been burgled or garotted.
This is a national emergency. They will be there.
Much as children were encouraged to report the appalling thought crimes of their parents under Stalin; they should also report parents who lapse into illegal mingling.
This may sound tough and counter productive for the children taken into care when they lose their gregarious parents to prison; but this is a national emergency.
Your Grannie's life is at risk. And The Queen's.
But please before phoning Police (non-emergency line Kit is quoted as saying but that must be an error surely?...) do familiarise yourselves with the long list of exemptions.
And make sure you don't mistake a "victims of violence" support group supporting in Hyde Park for a large unlawful clan of benefit scroungers.
If you can't tell the difference you could always ask them.