Stricter guidelines for applications to hold events with more than 25 people will not be imposed despite regulation breaches, the national security minister said yesterday.

Renee Ming said that ministry officials would instead scrutinise applications “with a very careful eye”.

She added: “We’re hopeful that persons will make responsible decisions as they even look to have large gatherings.”

Ms Ming, who was flanked by Lawrence Scott, the Minister of Transport, was speaking as she outlined this year’s budget for her ministry.

A curfew from midnight to 5am was reinstated on Wednesday less than two weeks after it was lifted.

The curfew was imposed after a spike in coronavirus cases.

The health ministry said earlier that more than half of 21 new cases had been on-island transmissions, with the five most recent infections a result of contact with known cases.

The surge is understood to have originated from a house party held two weeks ago – an incident now under police investigation.

Police also gave 24-hour shutdown notices to two bars that broke Covid-19 regulations just days after the last curfew was lifted.