Wales ‘actively preparing’ to impose circuit-breaker lockdown, first minister says

Wales is “very actively talking about and preparing for” a “circuit-breaker” lockdown, first minister Mark Drakeford has said, before calling on Boris Johnson to do the same. 

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Drakeford said a period of intensified coronavirus restrictions would not begin on Wednesday but that “detailed planning” was under way to establish what a circuit-breaker would look like in Wales – including what new measures would be implemented and how long it would last – so that “if we do need to do it, we'll be in a position to do it … quickly”.

He said the Welsh government would look at Covid-19 figures in Wales during the rest of this week to decide whether the circuit-breaker was necessary or not.

The first minister told Sky News he was considering making “the same decision as Northern Ireland” despite the fact coronavirus has been more “effectively suppressed” in Wales than in other parts of the UK.  

He said: “We want to act now in order to prevent the worst from happening, to give us a better chance of getting through the rest of the autumn and the winter, and if a circuit-breaker is the right way to do it then that is what we will do.”

The news comes after Northern Ireland announced it would enter an extended circuit-breaker lockdown starting this Friday. Pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks in the region, while schools will shut for two. 

Closures of hospitality outlets will begin on Friday 16 October and other measures from Monday 19 October, according to the PA news agency.

Mr Drakeford also used his time on Sky News to call on the UK government to consider implementing stricter measures across England. The first minister said it was irresponsible of Mr Johnson to ignore official advice from the Sage committee regarding circuit-breaker lockdowns.

Referring to UK minister Therese Coffey’s comments about circuit-breakers not being the right approach, which she made to Sky News earlier on Wednesday, Mr Drakeford said the UK government was flying “in the face of the advice of Sage”. 

“I don't think it is sensible for the UK government to dismiss that idea, they ought to sit down with everybody, look at it seriously, and then make a proper decision,” he said, before suggesting a four-nation Cobra meeting to discuss the experts’ scientific evidence.

Mr Drakeford went on to stress the need for the UK government to restrict people from areas with high levels of coronavirus from travelling into places with lower numbers of cases – an issue about which the first minister said Mr Johnson was yet to respond despite two personal letters from him. 

Welsh people under local lockdown restrictions are currently not permitted to travel to other parts of the country without a reasonable excuse, which does not include a holiday.

People living under restrictions in England, however, can freely travel into parts of Wales which are not under lockdown. 

“It is a simple, straightforward, practical action that prevents the flow of the virus out of areas where there is a great deal of it into areas where there is very little of it, and I'm baffled why the prime minister continues to resist this idea,” Mr Drakeford said.

“All we're asking is for fair play, for people in high-volume areas outside Wales not being able to do things that people in Wales who live in high coronavirus areas are already prevented from doing,” he added.