Wales essential items: What can’t you buy during the firebreak lockdown?

At 6pm on Friday 23 October, Wales entered a 17-day period of “firebreak” lockdown in a bid to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.

First minister Mark Drakeford has promised the lockdown will end at midnight on 9 November and is a “short, sharp shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and give us more time”.  

The firebreak, a term which has not been officially defined, is being used in the same way as a “circuit break” to mean a short, localised lockdown. 

It means all pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes have to close, as well as indoor leisure centres and gyms. And all indoor and outdoor gathering with people outside of your household is banned.

You can travel during the firebreak lockdown but only for a "reasonable" cause such as buying essential items, like food or medication, seeking medical help, getting tested for Covid-19, or delivering care.

But what is an essential item? Since the rule was announced there has been much criticism- especially when supermarket workers were pictured covering clothing and bedding in plastic wrapping - and a man went shopping in his underpants.

On Monday, Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething said the government is due to discuss the ban with supermarkets. "We're looking to have that clarity so you don't see cards, for example, sealed up in one shop but available in another,'' Mr Gething said.

So what are the rules now?

Food shops and off-licences are among the shops allowed to remain open. But other shops like clothing retailers are closed.

The list of exceptions during the firebreak lockdown includes:  food retailers, newsagents, pharmacies and chemists, bicycle shops, petrol stations, car repair and MOT services, banks, laundrettes, post offices, pet shops and agricultural supplies shops. See full list here.

But the government does warn: “Wherever possible people should avoid unnecessary visits to these, and use alternative approaches such as online services and deliveries.”

All leisure and non-essential retail is closed, including clothes shops, furniture shops, car dealerships and hardware shops. You are also not allowed to buy alcohol after 10pm either in a physical shop or receive alcohol in your online shop if it is after 10pm. 

Conservative Member of the Senedd, Russell George, said it was "unfair" to force independent retailers, like clothing or hardware stores, to close while similar goods were still on sale in major supermarkets alongside the food.

Mr Drakeford told a committee in response: "We will be making it clear to supermarkets that they are only able to open those parts of their business that provide essential goods to people.”

On Friday, journalist Grant Tucker shared a photograph of the Tesco superstore in Pontypool where staff members appeared to be doing exactly that, covering up pillows and duvets on a supermarket shelf - deemed non-essential items.

Although businesses have been told they may only sell essential goods, there still was no widely available list on Friday afternoon when The Independent contacted the Welsh government.

Supermarkets have generally been told they are not allowed to sell items like clothes or hardware, as per the shops that are being requested to close - this is in response to criticism that doing so would put specialised independent retailers at a disadvantage compared to big superstores.  

Andrew RT Davies, the Conservative shadow health minister, tweeted: “The power is going to their heads.” He later added: “Is a flagon of Strongbow deemed essential? What about some much-needed underpants if you’re caught short?” 

Sue Davies, from consumer group Which?, said the announcement would cause "confusion", particularly among the vulnerable.

"Our own research showed that almost half of those who described themselves as situationally vulnerable in Wales during the previous lockdown had difficulty accessing the food and groceries they needed," she said.