As of yesterday in England you can go to a wedding or a funeral with 30 people, but not to a house party with seven. You can play football at your local grounds, but not five-a-side in the park with your friends.

Confused? You're not the only one.

It is now illegal to socialise in groups of more than six. The move follows a rise in the UK's R numberShort for 'reproduction number'. It represents the number of people that each person infected with COVID will give it to, on average: so when the R number is below 1, COVID will start to disappear; above 1 and the virus will infect more and more people. as the pandemic gathers momentum again.

The decision threatens to set family against family and neighbour against neighbour, reviving a deep historical conflict between individual liberty and the safety of the majority.

This rift dates back to the mid-17th century. Philosopher Thomas Hobbes argued that as human beings are naturally cruel and self-interested, society can only be held together by a powerful state that restricts people for the greater good.

On the other side, the formidable John Locke said that human beings are essentially free, and that people only set up governments to protect their rights. Therefore, the state can only act to preserve individual rights, he said, not for the greater good of society.

Locke's ideas laid the groundwork for the American Revolution in 1775. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding FathersThe men generally thought to have played the most important role in creating the United States of America, by leading its military forces during the War of Independence or by writing the documents on which it is founded and still guide the country today. of the USA, famously declared that "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."

These arguments were important during the Cold War in the 20th century, when Western countries like the USA and the UK presented themselves as champions of the rights of the individual against state power. In contrast, communistAn economic system entailing collective ownership of all means of production in contrast with capitalism, which holds that industry and businesses are controlled and run for profit by private owners rather than by the government. countries prioritised the common good over individual rights.

Critics of the UK's response to the pandemic have drawn on these ideas. MP Steve Baker describes the rule of six as "draconianExtremely severe. Draco was a 7th-century BC legislator who drew up Athens's first written laws that imposed the death penalty, even for minor offences such as stealing a cabbage." and "authoritarian". Jonathan Sumption, a former justice of the Supreme Court, insists that individuals must be free to make their own decisions.

But supporters of the rule of six claim that it is impossible for individuals to make a rational judgement of the risks in going out during the pandemic because scientists still do not know enough about the effects of the virus. Its long-term impact on health may be greater than is currently believed.

Jonathan Compton, a top lawyer, insists that restrictions on personal freedom are necessary to slow the spread of the virus and keep the economy working.

Yes, of course, say some. If the government tries to prevent people from making their own choices, they will simply ignore the law. The rule of six will be impossible to enforce: it may be easy for the police to break up parties but much harder for them to stop seven people and a baby from entering a pub.

Not at all, goes the opposing argument. In any life-threatening emergency, such as Covid-19, the state must step in to protect people's lives. If the government places strict limits on people's behaviour, then people will take the threat of the virus more seriously, and will be more willing to obey the law.