Covid-19 NI: 11 further deaths and 518 new cases confirmed

Higher fines of £200 can now be issued for coronavirus regulations breaches (PA)

A further 11 people with Covid-19 have died in Northern Ireland, the Department of Health has said.

The death toll recorded by the department now stands at 889.

There were also another 518 confirmed cases of the virus recorded in the last 24-hour reporting period.

A total of 48,229 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Northern Ireland since the pandemic began.

A new regime of tougher fines for breaches of coronavirus regulations is in force in the North.

The minimum fine has increased from £60 to £200, and fines on conviction can rise to £10,000.

The heftier penalties were agreed by the Stormont Executive on October 8, however they did not come into law until November 12.

Earlier this month, Justice Minister Naomi Long said pressures on bespoke printing for enforcement notices had contributed to the delay.

In a statement on Wednesday, the PSNI said 210 penalty notices with a starting fine of £200 have so far been issued.

They include 77 in Belfast, 48 in the Derry City and Strabane council area and 41 in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon area.

Since March, the PSNI has issued 2,101 penalty notices, 580 notices to businesses, and 48 £1,000 fines for failure to isolate.

Higher fines for business and/or premises where regulations are breached now start at £1,000 and go up to a maximum of £10,000. None of those had been issued by November 15.

The PSNI also said that as of 9am on Wednesday, there are 509 officers/staff members absent due to Covid-19. Of these, 429 are self-isolating.

A PSNI spokesman said it will “continue to flex its resources to meet policing demand across Northern Ireland as part of our ongoing commitment to keeping people safe”.