[ad_1]
WALES HAS ANNOUNCED that it will introduce a two-week “firewall” lockout starting at 6pm on Friday.
Prime Minister Mark Drakeford told a press conference in Cardiff that the move was necessary to reduce the spread of Covid-19.
The ‘sharp and deep’ closure will begin at 6pm on October 23 and last until November 9, and everyone in Wales ‘will need to stay home’ while in place.
“The only exceptions will be critical workers and jobs where you can’t work from home,” Drakeford said.
He also said the lockdown would be a “short, sharp shock, to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and give us more time.”
Under the “firewall” lockdown, all non-essential retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism businesses will close “just as they had to during the close of March.”
Community centers, libraries, and recycling centers will also close, while places of worship will also be closed, except for funerals or wedding ceremonies.
Daycares will remain open, and elementary and specialty schools will reopen after the midterm break.
Secondary schools will also reopen after midterm for seventh and eighth graders, as well as the most vulnerable students.
Students will be able to attend exams, but others will learn at home for another week.
Universities will offer a combination of in-person and online learning, but students will need to stay in their accommodation.
People will not be able to meet indoors or outdoors with anyone they do not live with, with the exception of those who live alone.
They should stay home, except for limited purposes like exercise, and should work from home whenever possible.
Gatherings are prohibited, including Halloween celebrations and fireworks or bonfire night.
Public Health Wales recorded 4,127 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 between October 9 and October 15, although the level of infections is believed to be higher.
The R number, the average number of people each case infects, in Wales is currently between 1.1 and 1.4, while the seven-day continuous incidence rate for Wales is over 130 cases per 100,000 people.
“There are no easy options in front of us as the virus is spreading rapidly throughout Wales,” Drakeford said.
“We know that if we don’t act now, it will continue to accelerate and there is a very real risk that our NHS will be overwhelmed.
“The number of people who are taken to the hospital with symptoms of coronavirus increases every day, our critical care units are already full.
“We ask our health and social care staff, who have done so much already, to work even harder.
“Unless we act, the NHS will not be able to care for the growing number of people who are becoming seriously ill.”
Drakeford said “even more extreme measures”, such as an indefinite lockdown, would have to be put in place if no action is taken now.
No news is bad news
Support the magazine
your contributions help us continue to deliver the stories that are important to you
Support us now
Paul Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, called on the Welsh government to provide the evidence behind the “firewall” and to go to the Parliament of Wales to answer questions.
“This is not a two-week break to resolve the pandemic, we are likely to see regular lockdowns for the rest of the year,” he said.
“The Welsh Government must be clear about what actions it is taking during the shutdown to prevent further closures across Wales that will have a significant impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.”
Davies said the lockdown was “not proportionate” and would hit businesses hard in areas with low Covid-19 levels, such as Powys, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion.
[ad_2]