A GOVERNMENT ruling to make face coverings mandatory in shops and supermarkets has been backed by Cumbria’s director of public health who believes it could help to hold-off a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Colin Cox said: “At this point in the epidemic it’s probably a sensible decision.”

He added that the NHS are fighting the spread of the coronavirus pandemic and that mandatory face masks will support the effort at a crucial time in the fight against the virus.

“We’re at the point where we’re in a good place but the risk is very strong now that we let things slip.

“The really important thing is getting people to remember that the virus is still out there.

“We may have started to ease the lockdown but people shouldn’t think that it’s all over.”

But he was cautiously optimistic: “The most significant easing of lockdown was last Saturday. I think most people are handling this really well."

He added that the result of eased restrictions is yet to be seen.

“If there is going to be a rise in cases we’ll see that towards the end of this week.”

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Cumbria increased by four on Tuesday, official figures show.

Public Health England figures show that 2,705 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday (July 14) in Cumbria, up from 2,701 the same time on Monday.

The rate of infection in Cumbria now stands at 542 cases per 100,000 people, far higher than the England average of 447.