NORTH Wales Political leaders have reacted to Wales' First Minister’s Covid 19 'firebreak' announcement.
At 12.15pm on Monday, October 19, Mark Drakeford confirmed the firebreak will run for two weeks starting at 6pm on Friday, October 23 until Monday November 9.
In his announcement, he said: “This firebreak is the shortest we can make it, but that means it will have to be sharp and deep in order for it to have the impact we need it to have on the virus.
“Everyone in Wales will be required to stay at home, this means working from home wherever that is possible and the only exceptions will be critical workers and jobs where working from home is simply not possible.
“All non-essential leisure, hospitality and retail businesses will close just as they had to during the March lockdown.
“There are no easy choices in front of us as the virus spreads rapidly in every part of Wales.
"We know that if we do not act now it will continue to accelerate and there is a very real risk our NHS will be overwhelmed.”
David Jones MP for Clwyd West
David Jones, MP for Clwyd West said: “The lockdown is for a relatively short period and I would like to know the scientific basis on which it has been decided. We must hope it has an impact on the spread of the virus, but it is worrying that areas of Wales that have a relatively low incidence of infection are being treated on precisely the same basis as areas that are more badly affected.
"The impact on people’s physical and mental wellbeing will be very great, and I hope that the Welsh Government have taken that into account.
“The support for businesses is disappointingly small. I very much fear that Welsh enterprises will be unable to sustain the damage of yet another closure.”
Janet Finch Saunders, MS for Aberconwy said: “Alongside this announcement, the Welsh Government must urgently release the data underpinning its necessity, providing a full and proper explanation as to how this lockdown will make a difference. The main concern is that this national lockdown is not proportionate, with all parts of my constituency being forced to remain locked down despite ward level data not being made available.
“The Welsh Government must also consider the concerns of the Older People’s Commissioner, as well as other stakeholders, to ensure that the needs of older people are not overlooked. The current support networks offered to these individuals must be ringfenced for our most vulnerable residents, especially for those who are isolated alone.
“Questions must be answered about the approach taken towards education and the impact that this will have on our children. Why are only year seven and eight allowed to attend in-person classes when older students have exams to prepare for later in the year? What assistance is being provided to ensure that no child is digitally excluded throughout this period?
“Whilst I welcome the announcement of further financial support, I am most concerned about the routes chosen to administer these payments. Businesses require urgent assistance and I do fear that those SMEs only eligible for the discretionary grant will be forced into an unfair first-come-first-served process which will only lead to errors and upset."
Dr James Davies, MP for Clwyd West
Dr James Davies, MP for Vale of Clwyd, termed the announcement as 'devastating'.
He said: This is a devastating announcement which, certainly in the case of North Wales, cannot be justified.
"Covid infection rates in North Wales have reduced slightly over the last week and are lower than the UK average - as are the rates across Wales as a whole.
"My view is that the evidence simply does not exist of the need to shut all non-essential businesses. We need to be aiming for the minimum level of regionally-targeted intervention to keep R under 1, and recognise that this is a pan-UK issue for which unilateral action by the Welsh Government will be futile.
"I am concerned that this is all about exerting power and making a political statement and that people’s businesses, wellbeing and livelihoods are being caught up in the process.”
Ann Jones, MS for the Vale of Clwyd, spoke in support of the 'fire-break'.
She said: "This short, sharp shock to the system is vital to protecting public health and ensuring our NHS is not overwhelmed.
Ann Jones MS for Vale of Clwyd
"By introducing a fire-break now, we can help reduce the rising number of infections and hospital admissions across Wales, and hopefully avoid longer, more stringent measures later.
“This decision is based on clear medical and scientific advice which the Welsh Government has published on its website.
“I know that people will be rightly worried about the impact upon their jobs and businesses; that’s why I’m pleased that the Welsh Government will provide a package of almost £300 million to support businesses, which will complement wage-support schemes available from the UK Government.
“The First Minister Mark Drakeford MS has also asked the Chancellor to give Welsh businesses early access to the new expanded Job Support Scheme from Friday.
"The Welsh Government has offered to pay the extra costs to the UK government scheme to ensure businesses can retain staff.
“This will be a worrying time for lots of people, as the local Member of the Senedd, I’m available to help as best I can. Please get in touch if you think I can help."
In an email, sent out by Welsh Conservatives - which has been shared with the Journal, members wrote: "The disease is appearing much more strongly in some parts of the country than others and a national lockdown would unfairly do harm to the people, children and businesses in areas where prevalence is lower. We need to avoid misery of another national lockdown by delivering a regional solution in order to keep kids in school, keep our economy going and keep jobs and livelihoods supported in this country.
"It’s very easy for the Welsh Government to take such a flippant approach to shutting down the economy of Wales over and over again when they’re not the ones paying for it.
"They’ve had months to develop a hyper-local response which suppresses the virus where its cases are highest, but have instead pursued a broad strokes approach that has paralysed vast swathes of the economy without any financial support.
"Communication is key in suppressing this virus – just when everyone is getting used to the terminology of a ‘circuit breaker’ and what that means, why have the Welsh Government decided to brand it has a fire breaker?"
Robin Millar MP for Aberconwy said: “Here in Aberconwy we are already seeing the terrible impact one lockdown had on jobs, business and wider health issues. People have responded superbly, they understand we are all trying to find a way to live with Covid. But the fact is our tourism based economy has been devastated and our Health Board remains under pressure and in special measures.
“The Welsh government must publish local, economic and behavioural evidence that shows this new lockdown is the right step to take. Why must Dyffryn Conwy face the same restrictions as Cardiff? And what support has the Welsh government put in place for businesses and workers?
“This pandemic can’t be fixed by looking at a spreadsheet and a map in Cardiff. We are talking about livelihoods and people – not just numbers and counties.”
Sian Gwenllian, MS for Arfon, said: “A fire break is a last resort and should only be used in an emergency. We are now in an emergency.
“The time the fire break buys us must be used to build up a resilient test trace and isolate system in Wales which means we can prevent being in the position we’re currently in where the case numbers have risen to the point where they can overwhelm an already exhausted NHS.
“We also need to ensure the safeguarding of workplaces, and that sufficient financial support is available for businesses and their employees who will be directly impacted by this fire break.
“It’s time for us as a nation to come together once again – as communities, as Government and as Opposition - working together to protect our NHS and save lives.”
Rhun ap Iorwerth, MS for Anglesey said: “Plaid Cymru had called for a period of tighter restrictions, as it is clear that Government policies have failed so far and so a short reset was needed, but what we can’t have here is Welsh Government going through that reset and then returning to what they were doing before, which clearly wasn’t working.
“What Mark Drakeford didn’t mention today was the crucial matter of what will happen next, after these two weeks, to try to ensure that we are not in the same position again in a few months. Plaid Cymru have announced a series of actions that we think could be implemented differently, including making the testing system much more robust.
“The important principle for me is I want to see as few restrictions as possible being imposed, but properly enforced, and with clear support for people and businesses affected.
“Alongside any decisions that are taken, we need to be clear about what exactly will be offered in support of the businesses and individuals who are hardest hit, and my Plaid Cymru colleagues and I will be raising these matters in the Senedd this week.”
“It has been a tough year for the people of Anglesey. We have felt first hand the economic impact that the first lockdown had on the island. As the most dependent county on tourism in the UK, Anglesey has suffered more than most.
“We also felt first-hand one of the first outbreaks at the 2 Sisters plant in Llangefni. We saw then how our community worked together to comply with regulations and stop the virus in its tracks. I want to thank everyone for the way that they have done all they can to protect our elderly and vulnerable throughout this crisis.
“The lockdown announced by the Welsh Government today comes just in time for the half term holiday, a time when our hospitality businesses look for a boost in income prior to the winter months. Instead, holiday lets are being shut and visitors turned away. This doesn’t just impact on the people who own those properties, caravans, restaurants and shops, but on all the people employed by them and those who supply them with goods and services. That’s a massive proportion of local people.
Placing the whole of Wales in lockdown simply doesn’t make sense. The Welsh Government is yet to share the science that supports a whole-country approach. The fact is that you don’t need to apply the same rules to people in Anglesey that you do in Cardiff.
• Cardiff has 2,604 people per sq km and 1,413 cases per 100,000 population
• Anglesey has 98.4 people per sq km and 882 cases per 100,000 population.
“When we opened our doors again after the first lockdown, we saw a flood of tourists arrive on the island, and yet our Covid-19 numbers remained low. This data is being ignored by the Welsh Government.
“The Welsh lockdown will lead only to more economic misery, businesses being liquidated and jobs lost. It might be much needed in Cardiff, but it is bad news for Anglesey.”
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