Swann says some firms may have to close at Christmas if Covid surge continues

Q Radio News/PA

Some hospitality venues may be asked to close their doors over Christmas if Covid-19 cases continue to increase, the Health Minister has told MLAs.

Robin Swann made the comments during a debate on Covid regulations, but stressed that closures were not inevitable.

It comes as a meeting of Stormont ministers to discuss a range of measures to help limit the spread of Covid broke up without agreement.

Mr Swann told the Assembly: “If the current trajectory continues with regard to the increased cases we are seeing, we may once again face the possibility where venues are asked to close their doors during the Christmas season.

“But let me be clear, it is not inevitable and I do not want to have to reintroduce further restrictions unless completely unavoidable.”

An Executive meeting to discuss Department of Health proposals to curb Covid infections will reconvene on Tuesday morning.

An Executive spokesperson said: “The Executive met this morning to consider a paper from the Health Minister.

“While the meeting was constructive and progress was made, it was agreed that more work was required and the Executive is due to meet again tomorrow morning to continue its discussions.”

The suggested measures from Mr Swann include tougher working-from-home advice and a new scoring system on Covid compliance for businesses.

The “scores on the doors” scheme, similar to those in place for food safety standards, would see the development of a “Covid score” for businesses based on an assessment of the measures they have in place and their compliance with public health regulations.

A sign at the Card Factory in Belfast, advising customers to wear a mask

Mr Swann has also warned that compliance with mask-wearing and the use of face coverings is insufficient in Northern Ireland, and that enforcement needs to be strengthened and action taken against those who are non-compliant.

In his paper to Executive ministers, Mr Swann said: “I look to my colleague the Justice Minister to take the lead in pursuing a minimum of 80% adherence to the wearing of face-covering requirements.”

But in a letter to Mr Swann, seen by the PA news agency, Justice Minister Naomi Long said enforcement was the responsibility of a “number of statutory organisations”.

Her letter said: “I must record formally that it would be entirely inappropriate for me, as Justice Minister, or indeed the Executive, to accede to your request with the regard to the enforcement of public health regulations.”

She added: “To clarify, it is for the Executive to instigate legislation and indeed, within that legislation, to define the powers for its enforcement.

“However, it is entirely inappropriate for the Executive to then appoint itself, or indeed any of its ministers, to an oversight role for enforcement activity.

“As has been highlighted on a number of occasions, enforcement is the responsibility of a number of statutory organisations and they must be allowed to conduct this enforcement activity without interference.”

Mrs Long’s letter continued: “Any PSNI enforcement of the public health regulations is an operational matter for the chief constable… it would be completely inappropriate for me to be seen to interfere in PSNI enforcement activity.

“In addition, I am at a loss to understand why you think I should be responsible for levels of adherence to face-covering regulations.

“These are public health regulations put in place for public health purposes. The duty rests with the proprietors of the settings named in the first instance.”

Justice Minister Naomi Long

Meanwhile, the organisation which represents rank and file police officers in Northern Ireland has said the PSNI “cannot be expected to solely carry the burden of Covid-19 enforcement”.

Chairman of the Police Federation Mark Lindsay said: “Organisations other than the police have responsibilities to uphold the legislation. The smoking ban is largely enforced by the retail and entertainment sectors.

“Only on very rare occasions are police called in to deal with breaches of the peace where people wilfully ignore the instruction from staff. The same should apply to Covid regulations.

“There is a collective responsibility by ministers to deliver on enforcement. Efforts to make the Department of Justice the main enforcement department are misplaced.

“Others, too, such as public transport and entertainment and retail sectors must work in unison to deliver effective enforcement.”

Executive ministers are also discussing the new working-from-home advice which has been proposed by Mr Swann.

Last week he advised anyone who worked from home when the pandemic began to do so again now.

But a letter from DUP Economy Minister Gordon Lyons to the Health Minister has raised concerns over the messaging.

The letter, seen by the PA news agency, said: “I need to raise significant concerns with the proposed messaging around working from home – namely that if a person worked from home when Covid-19 first arrived in spring 2020, then they should be working from home now.

“This is an overly simplistic approach which would deliver a message that actually miscommunicates Executive policy to the public, would cause public confusion and create industrial relations tensions for a whole host of public services.”

Meanwhile, there have been a further three deaths of patients who had previously tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland.

Another 1,469 positive cases of the virus were also notified by the Department of Health.

On Monday morning there were 378 Covid-positive patients in hospital, with 36 in intensive care.

Economy Minister Gordon Lyons