Coronavirus: Robin Swann not convinced over voluntary mask policy

NI shoppers could be legally obliged to wear face coverings from 20 August

The NI Health Minister Robin Swann is not convinced that enough people will wear face coverings in shops without an element of enforcement.

On Thursday, a compromise policy was announced, under which shoppers will be strongly encouraged to wear masks.

If 70 to 80% of shoppers do not comply with the advice by 20 August, ministers have the power to make face coverings compulsory.

A public information campaign to encourage their use is to be launched.

Mr Swann said he would be "delighted to be proved wrong" in his belief that the voluntary approach will not work.

The health minister said the onus is now on everyone on all of the sides of the debate to work together to achieve the shared objective of protecting the community from Covid-19.

No further Covid-19 related deaths have been recorded by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland over the past 24 hours, but a further 15 positive tests for the virus were confirmed.

The Department of Health's death toll, which mostly relates to deaths in hospitals, remains at 556.

However the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, which is keeping track of all deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, has counted a total of 850 Covid-19 related deaths to date.

'Wealth before health'

One County Londonderry woman, who is shielding, criticised the decision not to make masks mandatory, saying it was "wealth before health".

Roberta Colhoun, from Castlerock, told BBC's The Nolan Show she had been shielding for months and was hoping to get out in July.

"I would be very unhappy going in if everybody wasn't wearing a mask," she said.

• Masks could be mandatory in NI shops by 20 August

"This pandemic is not over and by protecting people in the long run the economy will recover," she said.

Roberta Colhoun is worried about people not wearing masks

"I would be frightened to leave my home as it would make me vulnerable to people who were not wearing masks. I feel I have not been considered," she added.

One MLA said the message was still confusing.

Kellie Armstrong from the Alliance Party, told the BBC that she had believed wearing a face mask was to be compulsory in NI from Friday.

"As far as I'm aware the Executive has decided that face masks are mandatory with enforcement coming in from 20 August," she said.

"We need clarification on the masks, we need people to wear them and from today if you're going to a shop you need to put on a face mask," she added.

"What we need people to understand is if you're going into a shop, wear a face mask, where social distancing cannot happen, wear a face mask."

In addition to the decision on face coverings, Stormont ministers agreed that swimming pools, spas, community centres, bowling alleys and funfairs can reopen from Friday.

Swimming pools in leisure centres, hotels and private facilities can reopen from Friday

Meanwhile the Stormont Executive also agreed to request urgent talks with the UK and Irish governments to discuss Covid-19 travel issues.

• What is yet to open in NI under Covid regulations?

It follows controversy earlier this week after Sinn Féin called for a 14-day quarantine for travellers arriving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain, while the DUP said people travelling from the Republic of Ireland posed an infection risk.

In the Republic of Ireland, no further coronavirus-related deaths were announced on Friday, so its death toll remains at 1,763.

In terms of infections, 20 new cases were notified in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 25,845.