Children in third class and above have to/ "are required to " wear masks in school from today onwards.

Schools will be entitled to refuse to allow students into class who fail to comply, with the exception of children with medical certs indicating why they cannot comply.

The government's also calling for less indoor socialising among under-12s for the next two weeks, after a sharp increase in Covid cases.

There were over 18,200 among under-18s in the fortnight to Sunday - compared to just over 13,700 in the previous two weeks.