YOU NICELY Heat is on as Spain cases up

Ministers’ ‘failure’ of foresight Cases: Deaths: 296,377 45,501 Cases: 15,241,186 Deaths: 622,731

TOURISTS brushed off the threat of coronavirus in Spain yesterday amid fears it may be declared unsafe to visit and is on the brink of a second lockdown after cases of Covid-19 tripled in a fortnight.

Spain is one of 59 countries UK nationals can travel to without needing to isolate for two weeks when they get back.

And holidaymakers in Magaluf were in a defiant mood, determined to enjoy the sun. Charmaine Bell, 37, from Wigan, Gtr Manchester, on holiday with husband Mark, 44, said: “I’m not too worried really. We work in ASDA we are used to Covid and it really doesn’t scare us any more, we know how to deal with it and be sensible.”

Paige Reilly, 18, Ellie Mccash, 18, and Becky George, 19, from Dundee, were also upbeat. Ellie said: “It is a lot different at night because they closed the strip and the nightclubs. That is hard to deal with, but during the day it feels normal.”

Emily Boddy, 35, from Scarborough, North Yorks, on holiday with partner Mark Nolan, 36, and their son Jack, eight, said: “We ummed and ahed about coming, but it has been OK so far, and I would tell people to come on out if they can.”

Last weekend 4,581 new cases were reported, a total of 264,836 in

Spain, with 28,000 dead. without masks but added: “It is the responsibility of all customers to ensure they are in adherence with the new legal requirements.”

Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said she hoped most shoppers would follow the rules or be

MHRA’S list of UK registered online retail sellers.

And anyone buying medicines online can check if the website is legitimately registered and can contact the General Pharmaceutical Council or Pharmaceutical Society Northern Ireland.

The penalty for selling medicines online without being registered is up to two years in prison, a fine or both.

Lynda Scammell, senior policy advisor at the MHRA said: “Buying

“shamed into complying or to leave the store by staff or by other members of the public”. But she added: “Calling the police should be a last resort for dealing with a mask issue. But of course the law is the law.

“If somebody is concerned about what is going on in their store, yes, of

from an unregistered site could mean you do not know what medicines you are getting, and you could even be damaging your health.”

Members of the public who wish to report suspicious activity in relation to any unlicensed or counterfeit medicines in Northern Ireland, can contact the Department of Health’s Medicines Regulatory Group, on: 028 9052 2094 or email counterfeit.mrg@ health-ni.gov.uk

HOLIDAYMAKER IN SPAIN

course they should call the police and we will try to assist.”

Avon and Somerset Police chief constable Andy Marsh said his force has “very limited capacity” to impose the rules.

He added: “It certainly won’t be the case that we will be encouraging people to call us if you see someone not wearing a face mask. And I can’t offer any assurance that officers will be able to attend such incidents.”

Thames Valley and Devon and Cornwall police forces said they would only attend if scenes turned violent.

A £550,000 grant has been awarded to scientists in Belfast to find alternative treatments for Covid-19 and investigate the bacterial infections that target the sickest patients.

The research project will be run at Queen’s University by Professor Jose Bengoechea.

Available information already shows bacterial co-infections are associated with the most severe cases of

COVID-19 in more than half of the patients tested.

And those infections appear to have a limited arsenal of antibiotic drugs available to combat them. Prof Bengoechea, a specialist in molecular microbiology, said: “It is critical bacterial co-infections should not be underestimated and instead be part of the plan to limit the global burden of morbidity and mortality.”

CONFUSION Boris Johnson GREAT BREAK From left, Ellie, Paige and Becky DOUBTS Emily, Mark and Jack HAPPY Mark & Charmaine Bell MINISTERS are today accused of an “astonishing” failure to plan for the economic and social impact of a pandemic. The cross-party Commons Public Accounts Committee says the Treasury waited until mid-march, days before the lockdown, before deciding on economic support schemes. The report says: “We are astonished by the Government’s failure to consider in advance how it might deal with the economic impacts of a pandemic.” It adds: “While school closures were predicted in pandemic planning, there seems to have been no plan for how schools and pupils would be supported.” Meg Hillier, the Committee chairwoman, said the crisis “was treated solely as a health issue, with no planning for the economic impacts” and that economic policy was “rushed”. She added: “A competent government does not run a country on the hoof.”