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THE NORTHERN IRELAND Executive has agreed to issue advice to people in the North to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where they encounter challenges while social distancing.
First Minister Arlene Foster told a Covid-19 press briefing at Stormont this afternoon that the move is designed to increase community confidence.
“Now it is important to differentiate between the use of face masks manufactured for a clinical setting and face coverings which are often homemade or natural clothing items used by individuals in day to day life,” Foster said.
“And we are focused on face coverings.”
The BBC today reported that Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said the use of face coverings will not be mandatory.
“While evidence on the overall protection provided by face coverings is not conclusive, on balance it is sufficient to recommend that members of the public consider using them in particular circumstances,” Swann said.
“In practice, these circumstances will largely relate to public transport and retail environments,” he said.
Crucially, face coverings must not lead to any false sense of security about the level of protection provided.
The total number of Covid-19 deaths in Northern Ireland is now 422, up four from yesterday.
Total confirmed cases rose to 3,984 today, up 50 on the previous day.
Restrictions
Stormont’s leaders also confirmed today that Northern Ireland’s Covid-19 infection rate is still too high to ease lockdown restrictions.
Ministers in the power-sharing executive agreed today to extend the current regulations enforcing social distancing for a further three-week period.
Foster said there may be “minor” adjustments to the rules next week.
Ministers also held further discussions on the region’s coronavirus recovery plan but did not finalise the blueprint. They hope to publish a plan setting out a phased recovery next week.
Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill said there is agreement around the Executive on the shape of the recovery plan and the decision to extend the regulations.
Foster said the region’s reproductive rate (RO) – the number of people an infected person infects – is currently at 0.8.
She said that is higher than some areas in England it needs to be driven down before the region can move to relax measures.
“It is not yet as far below one as we would like it to be,” she told the daily Covid-19 briefing at Stormont.
“And we recognise that our approach needs to be flexible and adaptable to change.
Next week, we will consider a number of minor adjustments to the restrictions and indeed to their interpretation.
O’Neill said she knew people would be “disappointed” by the announcement but she said the region is still on a “knife-edge” in efforts to suppress the disease.
“We’re still very much in the response (stage), we’re still in the fightback against Covid-19 but we’re also in the space where we’re planning for the recovery,” she said.
“And that’s the light at the end of the tunnel which we know that everybody wants to be able to see.
“So we reviewed all the regulations, we reviewed everything that we’ve been asking you to do right now.
“And we did that based on the scientific evidence that was available to us and all the medical evidence.”
She added: “That means that we’re not in a position today that we’re able to move on any of those regulations or we’re not able to relax anything at this time.
We’re still on a knife-edge in terms of our fightback.
Speculation
While there has been speculation the UK government may be planning to change the emphasis of its messaging away from stay at home, O’Neill said that is still very much the line in Northern Ireland.
“The message should be stay at home, the message is stay at home and that needs to continue here and there can be no room for confusion, we don’t need a confused picture,” she said.
Foster predicted Boris Johnson will not shift significantly from that message when he makes his address, suggesting some media outlets in London had “exaggerated” what will be announced on Sunday.
“I don’t think the Prime Minister will be moving dramatically away from that stay at home message, that is certainly what I got from him on our call today,” she said.
The two leaders discussed the UK-wide picture on a call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson this afternoon.
Includes reporting by Press Association
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Practically everywhere in Europe has mandated the wearing of masks in public places by this stage. Czech Republic did it from the beginning and has minimal numbers of cases. Seems as if simple Simon prefers the trump approach. WEAR A MASK
Did Arlene run this by Leo first as she expected to be consulted on everything we did down here ?
@Anne Marie Devlin: please don’t tell me what to do.
@Anne Marie Devlin: the Czechs mandated wearing masks with actually very little scientific evidence to suggest masks make a difference. We know now that they MAY. If not worn properly or used and disposed of correctly, they may actually accelerate transmission of the virus. Drawing the conclusion that becuase wore masks therefore they had few cases doesn’t yet hold up to scrutiny. Other measures may just as well have contributed to low numbers. Not necessarily wearing masks. If we go to wearing masks here, and we probably will, we will need TV adverts to show people how to use them properly. Otherwise we might as well just cough in each others faces.
@Anne Marie Devlin: you wear one all you want but im not wearing them
@Anne Marie Devlin: If you believe wearing a mask will keep you safe from “virus” particles you believe in unicorns
@Anne Marie Devlin: Simon recommended injecting disinfectant?
@Sarah Clifford: even if science says it may save your life or someone else’s?
@AOL: So why the frontline medics in St James Hospital wear them then? Why is PPE so critical to them? Because they believe in Unicorns?
@Seriousnojoke: The reason is simple! They don’t want to transmit any sickness they have!
@For Goodness Sake: What does “PPE” stand for again?
@Martin O Keeffe: bull. The Czechs had a nobel prize winning virologist as part of their response team. They identified masks early on from the information they had and the numbers speak for themselves now. Look at the countries with the most deaths per 1m. They all have made the same common error … no mandatory mask wearing. Like it or not these are the facts. Cillian De Gascun refuses to acknowledge these countries because Leo is a weak liberal who couldn’t bare do such a thing(no problem spending taxpayer money though and she’d loads of it). Guess who will be still paying that money back? Your great great grandchildren
@Seriousnojoke: They are medical grade masks something that is not widely available to the public.
@Martin O Keeffe: i didn’t wear one during the swine flu or bird flu outbreak and i knew more people that had that than the covid so answer to your question is no
@Anne Marie Devlin: I watched last night on television a leading virologist say thhey had virtually no positive effect on the transmission of the virus. She said they could pose other health problems. She was from Northern Ireland, and ironically the NI executive have made them cumpolsory here, except on busses and trains, taxies etc lol. I think they have little or no positive effect, and not having mandatory for public transport negates that effect. Another own goal from the inbecillic local government here in Belfast.I note that Northern Ireland has double the death rate of Ireland, and the UK as a whole has four times the death rate of Ireland.
@Sarah Clifford: I see you applied scientific fact to that answer. I had swine flu. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. Take care.
@Quiggers: the science is still debatable. Wearing a mask incorrectly (as most people seem to be doing) poses a greater threat to public health than not wearing one at all. Making wearing a mask mandatory early on puts a run on PPE which was not available. Like Leo or not, it’s hardly a time to be political about this. Take care
Anything that makes Arlene Foster cover her face and call off the marching is ok in my books.
Should be a must world wide for the rest of this year anyway
Face masks increase infection levels, you also inhale large amounts of carbon dioxide, and can suffer from oxygen deficiency,which will causes glucose breakdown and endangered lactic acid rise
@Dave Nomates: You sound like someone who’s never worn a mask.
Wear masks, not a hope.
If only I hadn’t decommissioned my balaclava, I could have just stitched the mouth closed
If masks worked then why not give masks and open up the whole country ?
They don’t give clear benefits and probably just give a false sense of security and cause a biological litter hazard for street cleaners. Just like gloves.
Just presume everyone has it and keep your distance
@Nioe: you must watch RTE a lot.
@Nioe: EXACTLY
It’s a “Respiratory” infectious disease. Just wear the damn masks already.
Foster is talking about the r o rate in terms of England. As of we don’t share an island
. Can ease restrictions either. No surprise that. All the gargling in open pubs on Paddy’s day not helping
Last month it was masks don’t work unless you’re sick This month it’s mandatory. It’s bullsh!t. “Virus” particles are microscopic. How would a mask keep out a “virus”
@AOL: The virus spreads through droplets. If it stops your droplets from coming out it stops others’ droplets getting in. What’s so hard to understand??
@AOL: Any protective measure is to minimise the spread even though it may not eliminate it completely. Just like brake doesn’t eliminate car accidents but it helps you stop your bloody car. Wearing a mask outside is better than staying at home for god knows how long don’t you think
@AOL: masks are better at keeping the virus in thus making it safer on plubic transport and shops. Check this article.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/04/dont-wear-mask-yourself/610336/
@Seriousnojoke: Nice one for the clarification so why change the goal posts? Last month masks were useless this month they are the bizzo. last moth they were saying there was no basis to two metres bit this month it’s mandatory. You are brainwashed lad
@AOL: 1,000 years ago they said Earth was flat and now it’s spinning like a ball. 10 years ago they said EU was great and last year Brexit happened. And you know what it means silly? Things change, understandings develops, just like you’re not 8 years old anymore.
@Seriousnojoke: You seem like an expert on viruses so please enlighten me further
@AOL: Why should I, are you gonna pay for the class?
@AOL: the same response in Italy France Spain UK USA Ireland to this virus. ALL with the ‘best’ experts working on the response. Lots of people dead… no masks… not a coincidence
@AOL: because there are several layers it’s like shooting a bullet into a forest eventually you will got a tree.
Please people
Do your own research. Don’t believe what you say here. Question and open your mind
@AOL: see*
@AOL: I think it’s best that we let the scientists and doctors do the research. I follow their cues. What’s so difficult about wearing a mask? If it saves a life? The goal posts change because were learning about the disease as time goes on. Nothing wrong with that.
@Martin O Keeffe: Nothing at all wrong with that Martin but for every article you see in the journal there is another one as compelling to the contradictory. Let’s not march into a population where the millions are dictated to by the few. As I keep saying on here 1.5 million people died in 2018 from TB and there is a cure for that. Why weren’t we in lockdown then?! It’s shocking
@AOL: because there’s a TB vaccine for at least 50 years .
This is up 90 minutes now. All the usual crew posting immediately and incessantly on government formation in the South, all bar the 5 fellow are all
absent, despite being in government up there.
What does that tell you.
Mandatory face masks?! Dickens times ffs.
have your say