Police have issued 44 Covid notices to people who attended a "large and noisy" house party in south Belfast in the early hours of this morning, during which 19 people locked themselves in a bedroom and refused to come out.
Two people also received fixed penalty notices for obstructing police.
At around 12.40 this morning, police attended what was described as "a large, noisy house party" at a terraced property in the Penrose Street of the city, and found a large number of people inside.
Police said that at one point 19 people locked themselves in a bedroom and initially refused to come out.
A further two people were found hiding in the attic.
After issuing 32 Covid 1 notices, which carry a £60 fine, and four Covid 2 notices, which are a warning to stop what is deemed unsafe behaviour, police remained at the scene until people left the area.
However, just after 8.15am this morning, police received notice that the party had restarted at the address, and returned to issue a further eight Covid 1 notices.
PSNI Sergeant Stuart Jackson urged people to understand that "the current health restrictions are not a game".
"Across Northern Ireland, people are making sacrifices, not visiting family members or friends and businesses have temporarily closed," he said.
He added: "The young people congregating or travelling to this area really need to consider their actions for their own health and that of the community of this residential area.
"Where appropriate, we will now engage with our University and Further Education partners, who may consider taking action if any of their students were involved with this party."
