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| UK coronavirus live: Hancock confirms masks to be compulsory in shops and supermarkets in England | UK coronavirus live: Hancock confirms masks to be compulsory in shops and supermarkets in England |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Face coverings will be mandatory from 24 July with £100 fines for non-compliance and shops can call police to enforce | Face coverings will be mandatory from 24 July with £100 fines for non-compliance and shops can call police to enforce |
| The Department for International Development (soon to be merged with the Foreign Office) has said it will match the first £5m of donations from the British public to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) coronavirus appeal. | |
| The appeal is aimed at helping people in countries such as Syria, Yemen and South Sudan, who are at increased risk of contracting the virus because they are living in crowded camps, having fled conflict. | |
| Sir Desmond Swayne, the Conservative MP for New Forest West, is distinctly off message describing wearing face masks while shopping as a “monstrous imposition”, and saying his constituents are “outraged”. | |
| Hancock raises some laughs, replying that curtailing the spread of the virus while allowing “the ancient liberties of a gentleman to go shopping is a difficult balance to strike”. | |
| Back in the Commons, in response to a question from Labour’s Chris Elmore about social media giants facilitating the spread of – and profiting from – anti-vaxx propaganda and other misinformation about Covid-19, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, says he is meeting Nick Clegg, Facebook’s vice-president of global affairs and communications, on Thursday to discuss the issue. He stresses that Facebook is not the only culprit. | |
| Public Health Wales said a further two people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths to 1,543. | Public Health Wales said a further two people have died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths to 1,543. |
| There were 21 new cases. The revised total for confirmed cases in Wales stands at 16,836, 209 fewer than the previous day’s figures because of “de-duplication”. | There were 21 new cases. The revised total for confirmed cases in Wales stands at 16,836, 209 fewer than the previous day’s figures because of “de-duplication”. |
| People with non-life-threatening conditions are to be asked to make an appointment ahead of attending Wales’s biggest A&E unit, reports PA Media. | People with non-life-threatening conditions are to be asked to make an appointment ahead of attending Wales’s biggest A&E unit, reports PA Media. |
| Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is introducing a “phone first” triage system for its emergency unit at the University hospital of Wales. | Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is introducing a “phone first” triage system for its emergency unit at the University hospital of Wales. |
| Patients requiring urgent care will be assessed and signposted to the “most appropriate medical help”, the health board said. | Patients requiring urgent care will be assessed and signposted to the “most appropriate medical help”, the health board said. |
| Those suffering life-threatening emergencies such as symptoms of a stroke, loss of breathing or a suspected heart attack should still call 999. | Those suffering life-threatening emergencies such as symptoms of a stroke, loss of breathing or a suspected heart attack should still call 999. |
| The health board said that returning to how patients accessed the emergency unit before the coronavirus pandemic was not “deemed safe for our patients or staff”. | The health board said that returning to how patients accessed the emergency unit before the coronavirus pandemic was not “deemed safe for our patients or staff”. |
| Emergency Unit consultant Dr Katja Empson said: | Emergency Unit consultant Dr Katja Empson said: |
| A similar system is in operation in Denmark, where all but the most ill patients must ring ahead and make an appointment at an A&E unit. | A similar system is in operation in Denmark, where all but the most ill patients must ring ahead and make an appointment at an A&E unit. |
| This was the health secretary announcing the decision to make face masks mandatory: | This was the health secretary announcing the decision to make face masks mandatory: |
| And this was the response from the shadow health secretary: | And this was the response from the shadow health secretary: |
| Richard Holden asks how many people across the country have been tracked and traced. | Richard Holden asks how many people across the country have been tracked and traced. |
| Hancock says 144,000 people have been asked to isolate. | Hancock says 144,000 people have been asked to isolate. |
| Martyn Day asks about public health messaging regarding face coverings and for a confirmed introduction date for the new rules. | Martyn Day asks about public health messaging regarding face coverings and for a confirmed introduction date for the new rules. |
| Hancock says the scale of the increase in testing will be large enough and there is a risk-based testing regime in place for NHS staff. | Hancock says the scale of the increase in testing will be large enough and there is a risk-based testing regime in place for NHS staff. |
| The Tory former health secretary Jeremy Hunt asks what plans are in place to increase test and trace to establish whether people have coronavirus or seasonal flu, and if they plan to introduce routine testing for frontline NHS staff. | The Tory former health secretary Jeremy Hunt asks what plans are in place to increase test and trace to establish whether people have coronavirus or seasonal flu, and if they plan to introduce routine testing for frontline NHS staff. |
| Hancock says he won’t pre-judge the decision to be made on Thursday regarding Leicester. | Hancock says he won’t pre-judge the decision to be made on Thursday regarding Leicester. |
| The shadow health and social secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, is speaking now. | The shadow health and social secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, is speaking now. |
| Why has it taken two months to make face coverings mandatory, he asks. | Why has it taken two months to make face coverings mandatory, he asks. |
| And why the 10-day delay before it comes into effect, he adds. | And why the 10-day delay before it comes into effect, he adds. |
| He asks Hancock to clarify the government’s position on workers returning to offices. | He asks Hancock to clarify the government’s position on workers returning to offices. |
| And he asks if Leicester will be able to ease out of lockdown later this week and how this will be communicated. | And he asks if Leicester will be able to ease out of lockdown later this week and how this will be communicated. |
| They want to give people more confidence to shop safely and protect shop workers, he says. | They want to give people more confidence to shop safely and protect shop workers, he says. |
| A way to do this is through use of face coverings, he says. | A way to do this is through use of face coverings, he says. |
| Face coverings should be mandatory in shops and supermarkets, Hancock confirms. | Face coverings should be mandatory in shops and supermarkets, Hancock confirms. |
| People who don’t wear one will face fines of up to £100 in line with those on public transport, he says. | People who don’t wear one will face fines of up to £100 in line with those on public transport, he says. |
| Children under 11 and those with disabilities will be exempt, he says. | Children under 11 and those with disabilities will be exempt, he says. |
| A shop can refuse people entry if they don’t have a face covering, and call police if there is a problem, he says. | A shop can refuse people entry if they don’t have a face covering, and call police if there is a problem, he says. |
| Wearing a face covering doesn’t mean ignoring other measures, including washing your hands and social distancing, Hancock adds. | Wearing a face covering doesn’t mean ignoring other measures, including washing your hands and social distancing, Hancock adds. |
| Hancock is speaking now on the “substantial progress” being made against the virus. | Hancock is speaking now on the “substantial progress” being made against the virus. |
| Yesterday’s figures show 530 new cases, down 90% since the peak, he says. | Yesterday’s figures show 530 new cases, down 90% since the peak, he says. |
| The latest number of deaths across the UK is 11, the lowest since 13 March, he adds. | The latest number of deaths across the UK is 11, the lowest since 13 March, he adds. |
| This progress can’t lead to complacency, he says. | This progress can’t lead to complacency, he says. |
| The health and social care secretary is due to give a statement on coronavirus shortly. | The health and social care secretary is due to give a statement on coronavirus shortly. |
| Members of the Independent Sage group set up by Sir David King, a former chief scientific adviser, said on Tuesday that face masks must be made freely available to those who cannot afford them. | Members of the Independent Sage group set up by Sir David King, a former chief scientific adviser, said on Tuesday that face masks must be made freely available to those who cannot afford them. |
| Prof Stephen Reicher at the University of St Andrews said masks could be posted to every household along with information on how they can help and how to wear them. Another option, he said, was to hand masks out on public transport and other places where needed. | Prof Stephen Reicher at the University of St Andrews said masks could be posted to every household along with information on how they can help and how to wear them. Another option, he said, was to hand masks out on public transport and other places where needed. |
| In a public briefing, the committee, which was established amid concerns over the transparency of advice reaching ministers from the government’s official Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), called for a “light touch” when it came to policing the wearing of masks. Shoppers who fail to wear one could face a £100 fine under amended legislation, a move the experts said went too far. | In a public briefing, the committee, which was established amid concerns over the transparency of advice reaching ministers from the government’s official Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), called for a “light touch” when it came to policing the wearing of masks. Shoppers who fail to wear one could face a £100 fine under amended legislation, a move the experts said went too far. |
| While children under 11 and those with certain physical and mental conditions will be exempt from the rules, the threat of fines could make some groups feel under attack, Reicher said. | While children under 11 and those with certain physical and mental conditions will be exempt from the rules, the threat of fines could make some groups feel under attack, Reicher said. |
| Dr Zubaida Haque at the Runnymede Trust, a race equality thinktank, said: | Dr Zubaida Haque at the Runnymede Trust, a race equality thinktank, said: |
| The Guardian is interested to hear from retailers about how they feel about the policy of mandatory masks in shops. Do you think it will be effective? How will you encourage shoppers to wear masks, and will you contact the police if they don’t? | The Guardian is interested to hear from retailers about how they feel about the policy of mandatory masks in shops. Do you think it will be effective? How will you encourage shoppers to wear masks, and will you contact the police if they don’t? |
| Also, if you’re a retailer in Scotland, which has already made face masks mandatory in shops, we’d like to hear how it’s gone, and what advice you might have for English retailers on managing the wearing of masks. | Also, if you’re a retailer in Scotland, which has already made face masks mandatory in shops, we’d like to hear how it’s gone, and what advice you might have for English retailers on managing the wearing of masks. |
| Please get in touch using the form below: | Please get in touch using the form below: |
| Nicola Sturgeon has said that the UK government’s decision to exclude social care staff from a post-Brexit fast-track visa system for health workers could have “a potentially devastating impact” on the care workforce in Scotland, which includes 6-8% of care home workers who come from other countries within the European Union. | Nicola Sturgeon has said that the UK government’s decision to exclude social care staff from a post-Brexit fast-track visa system for health workers could have “a potentially devastating impact” on the care workforce in Scotland, which includes 6-8% of care home workers who come from other countries within the European Union. |
| She said she would “continue to make very strong representations to the UK government to change that”. | She said she would “continue to make very strong representations to the UK government to change that”. |
| She added that the exclusion risked “doing huge practical damage to our economy ... and sending the message [post-lockdown] that we don’t want people to come and settle here from other countries”. | She added that the exclusion risked “doing huge practical damage to our economy ... and sending the message [post-lockdown] that we don’t want people to come and settle here from other countries”. |
| Sturgeon added that the reopening of Scotland’s hospitality sector tomorrow represents the “biggest and highest risk” of exiting lockdown so far. Referencing the new lockdowns imposed in Melbourne and California recently, she reiterated that the most immediate risk to Scots is not a second wave in the autumn but continuation of the first wave right now. | Sturgeon added that the reopening of Scotland’s hospitality sector tomorrow represents the “biggest and highest risk” of exiting lockdown so far. Referencing the new lockdowns imposed in Melbourne and California recently, she reiterated that the most immediate risk to Scots is not a second wave in the autumn but continuation of the first wave right now. |