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Welsh ministers have doubled down on the surveillance of shopping carts during the “circuit breaker” lockdown, but the list of “essential” items that can be purchased has been expanded to include baby clothes.
The Welsh Government said on Tuesday it had “positive talks” with essential retailers, representative groups and unions about the rules.
The ministers released an update to the list of items that can be sold in stores and supermarkets that can remain open during the closure.
But they say the principle of property restriction will remain in effect until the end of the blockade, which is due to occur on November 9.
In supermarkets you can sell 10 types of product. Food and beverages are allowed, as well as “ancillary to the sale of food and beverages” products, including disposable items used to prepare and store food, such as kitchen paper, food bags and cling film.
The Welsh government said on Tuesday it had “positive discussions” with essential retailers, representative groups and unions about the rules.
Stock covered with plastic sheeting in a Sainsbury’s store in Cardiff, Wales, on October 27
Ho ho no: duct-taped Christmas items in a Cardiff Bay Home Bargains store
You can also sell basic products necessary to prepare and eat food and drinks. Products for laundry and home cleaning and maintenance are allowed, including batteries, light bulbs and fuel.
Mother ‘couldn’t buy essential toys for her autistic son due to government rules’
Chelsi Downes and her two-year-old son
A mother said she had been unable to buy essential toys for her autistic son due to government rules on the sale of “non-essential” items.
Chelsi Downes of Culverhouse Cross said she had been unable to take her son to the supermarket due to the stress of not being able to buy sensory toys like Play-Doh.
Her two-year-old son Nicky has autism and does not speak, and Chelsi said he relied on toys like the popular modeling dough to communicate.
However, the Welsh government’s guidelines on the sale of ‘non-essential’ items mean that she has been unable to purchase Play-Doh, an item she considers essential for her family, while shopping in supermarkets.
Welsh supermarkets have been prevented from selling ‘non-essential’ items such as clothing, household items and toys, in accordance with the Welsh government restrictions imposed under the fire lockdown that began at 6pm on Friday 23rd. October.
Prime Minister Mark Drakeford said the measure would help create a “level playing field” for other companies that had been forced to close, but there has been some opposition to the measures, with protests in supermarkets and a petition.
The rules have changed tonight, with a new list of items that can be sold and a clarification that people can ask to buy certain items “by exception.” It is still unclear if this will allow Chelsi to buy Play-Doh for her son from now on.
Chelsi, a mother of two, believes that the Welsh government has failed to consider the damaging effect its policy could have on children with disabilities.
“Autistic children have very specific sensory needs. Normal items for us, like paper, are huge for them, ” he said.
“Each different element is a different feeling for them, they are different senses. It really helps with development. For Nicky, Play-Doh is his way of communicating.
“ It is non-verbal and therefore without its sensory element it will do nothing and cannot communicate. You won’t eat without it, you won’t sleep without it, there’s no communication there.
I’m so angry. This system puts people at risk. How does my son want Play-Doh – something that is important for his development – considered “nonessential” when you see some of the other things being sold?
Supermarkets may sell toiletries and cosmetics, including toilet paper rolls and sanitary products, as well as pharmaceuticals and baby products, including equipment, clothing, and diapers.
Newspapers and magazines are allowed, as well as stationery and greeting cards, pet food and other pet supplies, and bicycle and car maintenance products.
Earlier Tuesday, retailers called for the ban to be relaxed to allow customers “to make their own decisions.”
More than 67,000 people have signed a petition to the Parliament of Wales calling for the ban on non-essential items to be immediately lifted.
A spokesman said the government had “clarified that a sensible system should be introduced” in which customers can request the purchase of non-essential items by exception according to regulations.
“We are hopeful that this provides a viable solution for retailers and customers,” he said.
“However, we cannot depart from the core principle that retailers should restrict the sale of non-essential goods for the duration of the firewall.
We continue to work closely with the industry and emphasize that these restrictions are in place to stop the spread of the coronavirus and save lives.
“We ask the public to continue to support the effort by restricting travel and unnecessary purchases.”
Groups representing supermarkets made a series of recommendations to Welsh ministers after confusion about what can and cannot be sold during the 17-day firebreak period.
In a joint statement by CBI Wales, the Welsh Retail Consortium and the Association of Convenience Stores, asked the Government of Wales to accept the proposals to “resolve the confusion.”
“We recommend that the individual customer be trusted to make their own decision on whether a product is nonessential or not, taking into account the notices displayed throughout the store and their immediate needs,” they said.
“If the customer goes ahead with the purchase of the item, the ultimate responsibility should rest with the customer.”
He said this would mean non-essential items would not be removed from shelves or cordoned off.
Instead, large notices would be posted in front of products and in common spaces to inform shoppers about Welsh government regulations.
In-store ads and social media messages could be used to advise customers to put off buying non-essential items, the statement suggested.
Retailers could also eliminate special in-store promotional displays for nonessential items to minimize browsing time and “avoid triggering a nonessential purchase.”
On Monday, Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said it would be made clear that supermarkets could use their own discretion to sell non-essential items to those who “really need them.”
He told a press conference that he was “ very saddened ” to learn of an exchange involving Tesco on Twitter, in which it was wrongly suggested that sanitary products were not essential and could not be sold.
It later emerged that an aisle selling the items in a store in Cardiff had been cordoned off to allow for a police investigation after a robbery.
The Welsh government has said the rules are both about limiting the transmission of the coronavirus and being fair to non-essential retailers who have had to shut down during the firewall.
The Welsh government has said the rules are both about limiting the transmission of the coronavirus and being fair to non-essential retailers who have had to shut down during the firewall (pictured: Prime Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford)
A sign under a Captain Tom book in an ASDA store in Leckwith that says items deemed ‘non-essential’ cannot be sold
Blocked aisles in a B&M store on October 27, 2020, in Cardiff, Wales
Store aisles are cordoned off with plastic sheeting at a store in Newport as Wales enters the first week of a two-week ‘firewall’ lockdown in an attempt to protect the country’s NHS from being overwhelmed by the coronavirus resurgence .
Under the firewall lockdown, which began at 6 p.m. Friday, non-essential retail stores, including clothing stores, furniture stores, and car dealerships, are closed.
Stores that sell various types of products can remain open, but can only sell essential items.
On Tuesday, another 1,207 people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 45,046.
Public Health Wales said that seven people with Covid-19 had died, and that the total number of deaths since the start of the pandemic rose to 1,790.
