Initially, the group of 19 refused to come out of the bedroom.

Police in south Belfast have issued 44 Covid notices at a residential property in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Around 12.40am, police received a report about a large, noisy house party in the Penrose Street area. "Officers attended a terraced property and located a large number of people inside," Sergeant Stuart Jackson said. "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, four Covid 2 notices and two fixed penalty tickets, police officers remained at the scene until people left the area. "Just after 8.15am this morning, police received a further complaint that a party had restarted at the same address. Police again attended and issued a further eight Covid 1 notices. “People must 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. “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,” Sergeant Jackson said. A Covid 1 notice carries a minimum £60 fine and police can issue multiple notices to the same person, over the age of 18, up to the value of £960. Covid 2 notices are also known as prohibition notices and are issued as a public safety measure. It requires premises to stop what enforcement officers consider to be unsafe activity, to limit the spread of Covid-19 and prevent a second wave of the virus.