Mandatory now to wear public to wear face coverings in shops and enclosed spaces
Justice Minister Naomi Long has been carrying out a review of the penalties.
The plans would see fines in the North of Ireland comparable with other jurisdictions like England, where the minimum fixed penalty notice is £200.
Currently, fines in NI start at £60 but can rise to £960 for repeat offenders.
People in the North of Ireland can also be fined £1,000 for failing to self-isolate – that is lower than in England, where the fine can be as high as £10,000.
Last week, First Minister Arlene Foster had warned that “tougher penalties are coming”, in a sign the executive wants to take a harder stance on those who flout the rules.
On Wednesday evening, Health Minister Robin Swann said: “If the penalty for not wearing a face covering is not enough to get people to do it, then we have to increase that penalty.”
He said ministers would have to “step up enforcement” which would require the involvement of police and “our entire justice system getting behind the health messaging that we need people to follow”.
Mr Swann suggested that council environmental health officers may also be involved in the enforcement of face coverings in shops.
He added that he wanted to encourage the retail sector to “step up and take some ownership of this”.
It is believed ministers will also discuss extending the use of mandatory face coverings to other settings at Thursday’s executive meeting.
Face coverings are compulsory on public transport and for customers in shops, but ministers are likely to look at extending the measure for staff in shops and other workplaces.
They are also expected to explore the possibility of extending tighter local restrictions to the Newry, Mourne and Down Council area.
New restrictions came into force in Derry an Strabane on Monday of this week with pubs, restaurants an cafes told they can only serve foo for takeaway or dellivery.
Alcohol can only be serve outdoors which has led to some pubs in the council district pulling down the shutters for two weeks as part of the new restrictions.
Hotel doors are allowed to remain open but can only serve patrons who are residents.
On Wednesday, the North’s Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young said of the Coronavirus clusters identified, more than half of them had been linked to the hospitality sector.
Stormont ministers have not ruled out bringing in a circuit breaker over the half-term holidays, if localised restrictions do not help to halt the rise in infections.
A circuit breaker is a lockdown for a short period of time, possibly two weeks, to slow the spread of the virus.
It would likely see all pubs and restaurants in Northern Ireland forced to close for the two weeks.
But on Wednesday, Economy Minister Diane Dodds said it would only be viable with additional financial support from Westminster.
It is thought there could be further announcements next week from the Treasury about providing support to the hospitality industry in the worst hit areas of England, where pub closures are being explored.
That could automatically lead to some extra funding for the North of Ireland through what is known as a Barnett consequential.
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