Priti Patel insists ‘rules are clear’; 1,243 more deaths recorded, second highest daily toll – as it happened

1.41pm EST 13:41

Sometimes mistakes will be made, but we always have looked at those, we have looked at them quickly, we have dealt with the members of the public concerned and we have said when we have got something wrong.

The fines have now been rescinded. Asked about the same case, Patel said the police were “outstanding”, but she also pointed out that those fines have been withdrawn.

If you tried to make a definition for every possible circumstance that would be really challenging. I don’t think we are in a position where we want to set a particular distance because how would – if a police officer stopped somebody – [they] prove that a person is within or outside that distance.

At the press conference Patel defended Boris Johnson’s decision to go on a bike ride seven miles from his No 10 home on Sunday, but she also stressed the importance of people staying local.

That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus blog. It’s here.

Updated at 1.51pm EST

1.19pm EST 13:19

These are from my colleague Jessica Elgot on Priti Patel’s comments at the press conference.

1.06pm EST 13:06

Here is the government’s coronavirus dashboard. And here are the key charts.

Amid all the gloom, it is worth pointing out that the figures contain some good news; they confirm that the daily number of new cases is starting to fall. That has been apparent for a few days now, but for the first time now the week-on-week figure is heading down. The number of new cases over the last seven days is 0.5% lower than during the previous week. Yesterday the week-on-week figure was showing a 5.5% increase.

What makes these figures even more significant is that fact that positive tests are going down week on week while the number of tests being carried out week on week is up by almost a third (32.6%).

Government dashboard Photograph: Gov.UK

12.41pm EST 12:41

The press conference is now over. This is from ITV’s Robert Peston on Priti Patel’s two glaring non-answers earlier. (See 5.18pm and 5.24pm.)

12.38pm EST 12:38

Q: How can the public know what “local” means when Derbyshire police fine two women for going five miles for a walk, but the PM goes seven miles for a bike ride.

Patel says the police are excellent. They have to use their judgment, she says. But she says, in the case of Derbyshire, those fines were rescinded.

On exercise, she says people should stay local. That is crucial. And they should stay away from other people. That is what the PM did when he was taking his exercise.

Hewitt repeats the point about the Derbyshire fines being rescinded. He says this is unprecedented territory. Officers are dealing with unusual health regulations. There have been decisions that have subsequently been reviewed. “Sometimes mistakes will be made,” he says. But they get looked at. The police admit when they have got something wrong.

12.34pm EST 12:34

Q: Hospitals in France and Italy could cope with almost 40,000 patients without having to tell people to stay at home. Could the NHS have done more to prepare for this?

Diwakar says the NHS spent a lot of time preparing over the summer. It invested in more capacity. But the virus has progressed extremely quickly. He says hundreds more beds have been acquired.

Q: When might you take a decision about tightening rules?

Patel says there are constant discussions in government. These issues are “live”. The rules are always under review constantly.

But currently they are focusing on compliance and enforcement, she says.

12.31pm EST 12:31

Q: Are you concentrating too much on the easy targets, like park, instead of enforcing social distancing at workplaces and on public transport?

Patel says the government is trying to save lives. It is not about picking on particular groups, she says.

She says it is right that the police go after egregious breaches. She says she has seen “my police officers” doing this.

Q: Will the police ensure workplaces are Covid secure?

Hewitt says the police operate in the public space. But he says they have worked hard to make their own workplaces Covid secure.

12.27pm EST 12:27

Q: The rules may be clear, but are they tough enough?

Patel says the rules are tough enough. She says the message is clear. The more we follow the rules, the sooner we can drive the pandemic down.

Q: Do the rules need to be even clearer?

Hewitt says there has been a lot of talk about the definition of local. But he says there might be a problem with specifying what distance from home is allowed. How would police officers know how far people have travelled?

He says people understand the exemptions. People should ask themselves if their travel is essential.

Patel says people understand the stay at home message. And they understand the need to stay local.

12.24pm EST 12:24

Q: ( From the BBC’s Mark Easton) Why are the rules not as tough as last spring?

This is the same question as the one posed by a member of the public. (See 5.18pm.) But Easton has no more luck at getting Patel to address it.

Patel says the rules are clear. She says people should stay local. There are only limited reasons for people being allowed to leave home.

Hewitt says it is clear what people need to do. They have to accept personal responsibility, he says.

12.21pm EST 12:21

Q: When will people like police officers, teacher and supermarket staff get prioritised for the vaccine?

Patel says the government is following the advice of the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation. She says they have drawn up a priority list covering 88% of people who die from Covid.

But she says the government is looking at who might be in future priority groups.

Diwakar says the JCVI has been driven by the evidence.

12.18pm EST 12:18

Q: (From a member of the public) If the new variant is more transmissible than the original ones, why are the lockdown rules not as strict as last spring.

It’s a very good question. But Patel does not really address it. She just says it is important for everyone to follow the rules.

12.16pm EST 12:16

Diwakar says the hospitals in London are under intense pressure. If hospital numbers continue to rise, patients will have to be sent to hospitals outside the capital, he says. But he says in other areas there are problems too.

12.15pm EST 12:15

Hewitt said 45,000 fixed penalty notices had been issued since the start of the pandemic.

Updated at 12.40pm EST