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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 enforceFace coverings will be mandatory from 24 July with £100 fines for non-compliance and shops can call police to enforce
Working conditions could be leaving people exposed to coronavirus, Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham has said as he suggested the government risked not observing its own laws by not providing full testing data to councils.
In a joint press conference with Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Burnham called on the government to work in partnership with local authorities by providing more information on those who had tested positive for Covid-19.
He said the government was “at risk of not observing their own law” by not providing daily data, which identified patients, to councils. He also called for clarity on the threshold for government intervention if there was an outbreak.
The metro-mayor said a high number of cases in Rochdale may be linked to a warehousing operation which had been the “focus of some extra work with regards to testing”.
The former health secretary said testing data which included a person’s work postcode as well as their home postcode would help to get to the “root cause” of any outbreak.
Rotheram said a rise in cases in south Liverpool involved people aged between 15 and 24 and work was ongoing to establish links between them.
Burnham added:
The health and social care secretary Matt Hancock has previously said Manchester did have access to data, after Burnham called for more “track and tracing” information to be shared.
Here is the moment the health and social care secretary confirmed in a Commons statement that shoppers would be required to wear face coverings while in shops and supermarkets in England.
Doing so will protect workers and give the public greater confidence to shop, Matt Hancock said. Those who do not comply with the new rules will face fines of up to £100.
A further 26 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in hospital in England, bringing the total number of confirmed deaths in hospitals to 29,103, NHS England said.
The patients were aged between 49 and 94 and one 71-year-old patient had no known underlying condition. Another five deaths were reported with no positive Covid-19 test result.
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 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.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”.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”.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.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This progress can’t lead to complacency, he says.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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”.
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.