England: It is now i*****l to have s*x with an outsider in your house lest police come for you

England has crafted new rules to curb the spread of coronavirus.

One of the new laws put in place prohibits couples who live in different homes to have sex indoors and stay overnight, reports The Independent.

The Health Protection Regulations previously banned people leaving home without “reasonable excuse”, but the provision has been replaced by stringent curbs on where people can sleep and gather together.

The Independent says the new law will be laid in Parliament on Monday.

“There is a gathering when two or more people are present together in the same place in order to engage in any form of social interaction with each other, or to undertake any other activity with each other… No person may participate in a gathering which takes place in a public or private place outdoors, and consists of more than six persons, or indoors, and consists of two or more persons,” says the new directive.

A separate provision makes it illegal to stay overnight outside your home “without reasonable excuse”.

Some of the “reasonable excuses” listed include: moving home, work, attending funerals, providing care and escaping harm.

An exception has not been made for couples who do not live together, meaning that they can spend time together outdoors but not inside.

People who have sex outside can be punished under pre-existing laws on outraging public decency and indecent exposure.

Police can arrest or fine people for breaking the law, with the default penalty standing at £100 (Ksh13, 300) in England, but do not have the power to check for violations inside properties.

Adam Wagner, a human rights barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, told The Independent that the UK’s coronavirus lockdown had already restricted movement to a great extent, and therefore, imposing new regulations, including prohibiting any form of contact activity among ‘strangers’ indoors, was akin to denying them their right to privacy.

“This is a significant restriction on our rights to privacy and family life, even though it may be justified by the severity of the public health risk,” said Wagner.

“Now, as the lockdown is lifting, the regulations have become stricter about what we can do with other people in our own household. And the definition of ‘gathering’ is so wide it could encompass any kind of human activity, including sex.

“This may be an unintended consequence of the change, but it will affect many thousands of people and the government should urgently consider whether an exception should be made for people in relationships,” he added.

At the start of the lockdown, UK Government ministers and officials explicitly banned couples who did not live together from meeting.

At a press briefing on March 24, the deputy chief medical officer, Jenny Harries, suggested they should move in together if they wanted to continue seeing each other.

“The issue here is that we do not want to have people switching in and out of households. It would defeat the purpose of the reduction in social interactions and would allow transmission of disease,” said Harries.

At the time the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said people should “make the choice and stick with it”.

The new law -- on minimising physical contact among ‘strangers’ -- contains a long list of exemptions, including for “elite athletes” and their teams who need to train elsewhere and for children whose parents are separated.

Legal restrictions on gatherings have been brought in line with government guidance to mean that up to six people can meet in public places or private gardens.

New police guidelines published by the College of Policing on Monday, June 1 state that in England, “a person may now leave and remain outside of the place where they live for any reason, however, they are required to stay at the place where they are living overnight”.

Officers were told that they can direct people to return home or disperse illegal gatherings in private homes or gardens, but they cannot physically remove people or use force unless they are in a public place.

Fines and arrests can still be used as a last resort if people are breaking the law and refuse to comply voluntarily.

At the same time, amenities for outdoor sports including watersports centres, stables, shooting and archery venues, golf courses and driving ranges have been allowed to reopen alongside outdoor markets and vehicle showrooms.