NOTHING in the past 24 hours has eased the coronavirus storm clouds gathering over Northern Ireland, where infection rates continue to heavily overshadow those recorded in the Republic and Britain.
A further 923 positive tests for Covid-19 were confirmed yesterday by the Department of Health.
It brings to 4,674 the number of cases reported in the last seven days alone - more than a quarter of the 17,110 recorded overall since the start of the coronavirus crisis. Hospital admissions are also rising, while a further death was announced.
This context is profoundly worrying, for it suggests that the virus's spread has not been checked by the measures taken to date.
The executive has opted - arguably too late - to increase fines and make the wearing of face coverings mandatory in a wider range of situations in response to a steadily worsening situation.
This falls short of the tough 'circuit breaker' lockdown-type restrictions that senior Stormont figures had been preparing the public and businesses to expect.
That may yet be deemed necessary. In the meantime, increasing the minimum fine from £60 to £200 ought to help concentrate the minds of those who flout the face covering regulations and, in the colourful phrase of health minister Robin Swann, give a "two-fingered salute to the rest of us".
The measures announced by the executive last night will rely heavily on effective enforcement if they are to be helpful.
This will require the PSNI to be more proactive than they have been thus far in this phase of the pandemic.
Chief Constable Simon Byrne's claim that there was 90 per cent compliance with face covering regulations clearly lacked any firm evidential basis. Nor did it reflect the experience of the public or retailers themselves.
As well as tougher fines, which can climb to £10,000, the executive has extended the mandatory wearing of face coverings to areas including private buses, taxis, public areas of civil service offices, banks and post offices. Shop staff must also wear face coverings.
First Minister Arlene Foster and Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill warned last night that there was still time to arrest the virus's spread before hospital admissions accelerated.
They also said the executive had appealed to London for financial support, echoing the call from Taoiseach Micheál Martin in this newspaper yesterday.
That will undoubtedly be essential, but everyone can play their part by following the public health guidance.
