Gerard Howlin: Facemasks and flipping on pay shows Government has lost its gumption

Appeasement of people who panic-buy toilet roll but won’t cover their mouth and nostrils in enclosed public spaces won’t work

Taoiseach Micheál Martin takes off his face mask as he prepares to make a statement on arrival at a recent EU summit in Brussels.

Yesterday at noon, in my modestly-sized local Centra in Dublin 7, at least two dozen people were not wearing masks — about 40% of customers. 

Fifty-five minutes previously, at 11.05am, the HSE updated its website reminding us that we should wear a face-covering in shops, shopping centres, and all retail spaces, and that it will soon be the law. That same post stated that “by law you have to wear a face-covering when you use public transport”.