The message is: ‘You need to self-isolate’. This is the notification you get if you have used the NHS Covid-19 smartphone app and someone else who has checked in at the same venue within a certain time span has tested positive for Covid. The word ‘need’ is interesting. It can be used and taken to mean a benign suggestion such as ‘you need a drink’ or ‘you need to get some rest’. Alternatively, it can have a mandatory connotation which is clearly the way it is intended in respect of Covid.
The new regime
Nearly all legal restrictions relating to Covid were due to have ended on 19 July 2021. However, the strongest possible ‘advice’ is now in force from the government. It may be the ‘right’ thing to do is to follow the advice as regards, for example, wearing a mask on a crowded train.
This change in regime gives an opportunity to begin to consider how our legal system has been used or adapted
