Welsh government says there are no plans for Wales to be blocked again this year

The firewall in Wales is likely to be the last closure for the country until at least the end of the year, the Government of Wales has said.

The news comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is considering new national lockdown measures for England, after scientists warned that half a million people were infected with coronavirus each week.

Johnson is expected to announce the measures for England at a press conference on Monday, according to The Times.

Everything except essential stores and educational settings could be closed under the new measures, the newspaper said, but no final decisions are believed to have been made. You can read more about those plans here.

The Government of Wales has confirmed that these measures are not likely to have a significant impact in Wales, where a 17-day firebreak continues.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said that a new set of national rules imposed after November 9 should be enough to see the country in the new year.

Speaking to Times Radio this morning (Oct 31), he said: “We have made it clear that we are acting at this point, we are acting to have a definitive firewall. We will see the benefit of that after the firewall is over.

“We have also been very clear with the new set of national rules that we will have, we must all do our bit and we, as a government, have a continuous responsibility to analyze what is happening and act on the basis of the evidence.”

He said that they will not hesitate to act more if the situation demands it, but the plan is to reach 2021 without further intervention.

“We want to make it to the end of the year, but if we have to act more before the end of the year, of course we will be prepared to do so.

“But our goal is to reach a clear agreement that will allow us to reach the end of the year without this form of intervention again.”

When asked if another lockdown can be completely ruled out before January, Gething said: “None of us can know exactly where we will be in six weeks, let alone three months.

“It would be foolish and just not honest to tell the public that we can rule out measures at some point in the future.”

He added: “In the future, we may have to act, but this is what we think we can do if we all buy a new way of life, think about what we can do, to allow us all to get to the end.” of the year.

“And then, of course, we will have to re-evaluate where we are.”