THE use of face coverings will be made compulsory in more settings in Wales should coronavirus begin to spread again - but it is currently 'not proportionate or fair' to exclude people from shops if they are not wearing one, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

The debate on whether face coverings should be made mandatory in shops in Wales is continuing, with the Welsh Conservatives - who are running a petition on the issue - and Plaid Cymru maintaining that this should happen.

At the moment in Wales, face coverings are only mandatory on public transport.

Pressed once more on the matter during a live Facebook Q&A session, Mr Drakeford warned: "We will make them mandatory in other places if coronavirus starts to spread in Wales again."

Wales is the only one of the four UK countries not to have made face coverings mandatory for people using shops. England and Scotland have had the rule in place for some weeks, and it came into force in Northern Ireland yesterday.

Mr Drakeford said however, that at the moment coronavirus "is so effectively suppressed that we don't think it is proportionate, that it is fair, to say to somebody 'you can't go into a shop unless you're wearing one'".

"But I want to be clear with everybody that if the virus begins to circulate again in Wales and we think it is right to make them mandatory in shops or other settings, we won't hesitate to do so."

READ MORE:

The Welsh Government has been steadfast in its view on face coverings, and has voiced concern that their use may lead to a less stringent attitude towards social distancing and hand hygiene.

Mr Drakeford said that many people, such as those with breathing difficulties are not comfortable with wearing them.

Wales's chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton recently reiterated a previously voiced view that little had changed in terms of the scientific evidence for making face coverings mandatory in shops, and there was little benefit to be had. The issue is under regular review, however.

The existing advice in Wales is that people are advised to wear face coverings in public places when social distancing is problematic.

The Welsh Conservatives say social distancing is becoming more difficult to maintain as lockdown measures are eased, and shadow minister for Covid-19 recovery Darren Millar MS has said the Welsh Government should act "swiftly" to extend the mandatory use of face coverings.

Plaid Cymru's shadow health minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said recently that the Welsh Government is "lagging behind" on the issue, with the science indicating that wider use of face coverings can make "a real difference" in lessening transmission of coronavirus.