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Supermarkets can use “discretion” over the Welsh government’s ban on selling non-essential items during firewall blocking, the Prime Minister said.
Mark Drakeford said that people might need to buy such products “for completely unexpected reasons that they could not have anticipated” during the 17-day period.
The restriction has seen cordoned off walkways and plastic sheeting placed over items including children’s clothing, bedding and kettles.
Around 60,000 people have signed a petition submitted to the Welsh Parliament calling for the ban to be immediately lifted.
Under the fire lockdown, which began at 6 p.m. on Friday and ends on November 9, nonessential retail, including clothing stores, furniture stores and car dealers, must close.
Supermarkets have been told they should only sell essential items to discourage people from spending more time than necessary in stores and to be fair to retailers who have to close.
On Sunday, Drakeford told ITV Wales News: “I will not need, I don’t think, to buy clothes during these two weeks and I think many, many people in Wales will also be in that position.
“For me, it will not be essential. But I recognize that there will be some people who, for totally unexpected reasons that they could not have foreseen, will need to buy items.
“In those circumstances where those welfare reasons are at stake, we will ensure that our supermarkets understand that they have the discretion to apply the rules differently.”
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Drakeford said ministers would meet with supermarkets on Monday to discuss the ban.
He added: “They will want to do the right thing, I know, and our job is to stand alongside them to make sure that is clear to everyone.”
In an interview with BBC Wales, Drakeford said that Wales is in a “deeply serious” position and promised that any “anomalies” in the rules would be corrected.
“If the rules are not sensible rules, if anomalies are emerging, we will correct them, but the basic underlying public health emergency has not gone away,” Drakeford said.
“The basic decision is the correct one. If the implementation of it, the interpretation of it needs to be reviewed to make sure the rules are sensible, then we will.
“Non-essential products are not allowed to be sold for the next two weeks. That is why there are hundreds of stores across Wales that are closed. The underlying problem is not about shopping, it is about saving lives.” .
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The ban on selling non-essential items was announced in the Senedd on Thursday after conservative MS Russell George said it was “unfair” to force independent clothing and hardware retailers to close while similar products were being sold in major supermarkets.
On Sunday, the Welsh Retail Consortium called for the restriction “to be removed quickly.”
He warned that the “safe flow of customers” could be undermined due to changes in the distribution of stores to cordon off areas.
The guidance previously published by the Welsh government said that certain sections of supermarkets must be “cordoned off or emptied and closed to the public” during the two-week closure.
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