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THE WELSH GOVERNMENT “will continue to learn lessons” on how it communicates its lockdown rules following confusion over a ban on selling non-essential items, the Welsh Minister of Health said.
Vaughan Gething said the ministers will ensure that retailers understand what can and cannot be sold during the 17-day firewall, but will also discuss how buyers in “exceptional circumstances” can purchase non-essential items.
It came after Tesco was forced to apologize for wrongly suggesting that medical devices were not “essential” and therefore could not be sold due to the new measures in place in Wales.
In response to a customer who complained that they had been told they could not buy sanitary pads from a store in the St Mellons area of Cardiff, Tesco said on Twitter: “The government of Wales has told us not to sell these items for the period of the firewall blocking “.
Tesco said on Twitter that the Welsh government guidelines had meant that it could not sell sanitary products.
Source: Twitter / PA
The supermarket later said the tweet was sent “by mistake” and said the corresponding aisles had been closed after a robbery at the store.
The new restrictions in Wales, which began at 6pm on Friday and will end on November 9, mean that non-essential retail trade, including clothing stores, furniture stores and car dealers, must close.
Stores selling various types of products can remain open, but can only sell essential items, which according to the Welsh Government website also include those “that would normally be sold in pharmacies and pharmacies”.
Health Minister Gething said the regulations and guidance would be reviewed later that afternoon to ensure they are being applied “fairly and consistently.”
He said at the Welsh Government’s coronavirus press conference: “If there are anomalies, we will see if the guide needs to be revised or strengthened, to make it clear that supermarkets have some discretion to sell to people who really need it.”
Gething said he acknowledged that the ban on selling non-essential items was “difficult” and “difficult for people to accept.”
And he said the Government of Wales “will continue to learn lessons on how we do our job effectively by communicating with stakeholders, the public, but without losing sight of the fact that this is a public health emergency.”
Discussions with supermarkets would focus on how shoppers in “exceptional circumstances” can purchase non-essential items during the firewall shutdown, he said, before suggesting that shoppers could make their needs known to staff “quietly.”
Gething said he was “very saddened” to learn of the exchange involving Tesco on Twitter.
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“It is an incorrect reading of the regulations and the guide. I am very sorry that this woman received this information, ”he said.
Supermarkets are open and trading, like many other stores, and can sell the wide range of everyday items that we all need.
Following Tesco’s original tweet, the Welsh government tweeted: “This is wrong, vintage goods are essential.
“Supermarkets can still sell items that can be sold in pharmacies.
“Selling only essential items during the firewall is to discourage spending more time than necessary in stores. It shouldn’t prevent you from accessing the items you need. “
South Wales police said officers were investigating a supermarket robbery in which £ 20,000 (€ 22,048) of beauty products, including makeup, electric toothbrushes and razors, were stolen in the early hours. from this morning.
“Of course, medical devices are essential items and are available to customers in all our stores, including those in Wales,” said a Tesco spokesman.
Due to a robbery, this area was temporarily closed to a store for a police investigation, but is now open again.
“The response to this customer, which implied that these products were not essential, was sent in error and we are very sorry for the confusion caused.”
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