Another national lockdown in Wales ‘likely’ in the new year

Deputy Economy and Transport Minister, Lee Waters, said he believes the current two-week firebreak lockdown will not be the end of lockdowns in Wales, and we are likely to be in and out of them until a vaccine is found.

The Welsh Government had previously said that so far, another lockdown “could not be ruled out”. The present lockdown is due to be reviewed when it comes to an end on November 9^th.

In a BBC Radio Wales interview, Mr Waters said “This is not the last lockdown we are likely to see. The projections we published in a worst-case scenario show it’s likely we are going to need another firebreak in January or February.”

He added that Wales is now witnessing a second peak, and intensive care admissions are up by 57% this week alone, which was the cause for this “short, sharp” intervention.

He predicted that England could follow soon with a circuit-breaker lockdown of their own.

He said, “We are doing our best to flatten the curve. We can’t stop the curve, we can’t stop the virus spreading. Our best hope is to wait for a vaccine to help us bring it under control.”

Ministers have been accused by the opposition of having “no exit plan” as the lockdown may have cost the Welsh government £500 million.

Plaid Cymru believes the test and trace system needs re-examining so that this cycle of “devastating” national lockdowns can be broken.

“It is concerning to hear talk of plans for future firebreaks at the start of this reset,” said Shadow Health Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

“If the Welsh Government puts effective measures in place over the next fortnight, a new strategy for the months ahead, it should be aiming to avoid having to return to these tight nationwide restrictions.

“Ministers must resolve the issues within the test, trace, support and isolate system to enable the newly adopted zero-Covid strategy to be successfully implemented.”

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Feature Image: Twitter / @Amanwy