Wales set to impose strictest Covid-19 restrictions in Europe in 17-day ‘fire break’ lockdown

The First Minister of Wales has announced the closure of retail, hospitality, tourism venues and places of worship from Friday.

Brits living in Wales will be facing the toughest Covid-19 restrictions in Europe from Friday as it enters a 17-day “fire break” lockdown that mirrors measures put in place in March.

Mark Drakeford, the First Minister, said the lockdown would be a “short, sharp, shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and give us more time”.

He told a Welsh Government press conference: “We are all tired of coronavirus and the many rules and regulations we all have to live with. We all want to see an end to this pandemic, and have our lives returned to us. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a vaccine which will allow us to do that.

“This fire break is our best chance of regaining control of the virus and avoiding a much longer, and damaging, national lockdown. We have a small window of opportunity to act.”

What the lockdown will entail:

• People must stay at home, except for very limited purposes, such as for exercise and shopping
• They must also work from home unless they cannot do so
• Household mixing is banned both indoors and outdoors, unless within a “support bubble”
• Non-essential retail will close, with exemptions for supermarkets, local food shops and pharmacies
• Hospitality businesses such as cafes and restaurants will shut unless they provide take-away or delivery services
• Close contact services such as hairdressers and beauticians will be unable to trade
• Tourism businesses such as hotels and holiday camps must shut
• Community centres, libraries and recycling centres will also close
• Primary schools return after the half-term break, as do secondary schools but only for pupils in Year 9 and above or children with specialist needs
• Older pupils will be able to come in to take exams but otherwise will continue their learning from home for an extra week
• Universities will provide a blend of in-person and online learning
• Places of worship will close with exceptions for weddings and funerals
• Gatherings such as Halloween or Bonfire night or organised activities cannot go ahead, with an exception for Remembrance Day services

Speculation that England could soon follow Wales’ has run rife, however, Robert Jenrick, the Housing Secretary, played down the suggestion on Monday, saying: “The argument for a national circuit-breaker is not one that I, personally, find, at all persuasive.

“This is to apply, on a blanket level, the same approach in Nottingham, the city which my constituency is next to, where the number of cases today is well over 700, to Somerset or Herefordshire, where the number of cases per 100,000 is below 40.”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We keep all of our measures under review, but the PM has made very clear that he doesn’t want a return to something like a national lockdown and he believes that our three-tiered approach is the right way forward.”

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