Covid 19 - What you need to know - Wales - the route out of lockdown

Both the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament have now published documents outlining how the countries will transition out of lockdown.

In the Welsh document, which can be read in full here, the Assembly sets out three pillars for their framework:

• Firstly, Measures and evidence
• Secondly, Principles to evaluate changes to the restrictions.
• Thirdly, Public health response.

In his Foreword to the document, First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford said:

'Tackling the coronavirus crisis has meant major changes to the lives of every single one of us across Wales. We have had to take difficult decisions in order to save lives and protect our NHS.

'The actions of every one of us have contributed to falling levels of infection in Wales, but the virus remains a very serious threat to us all and we cannot be complacent in any way.

'….I am mindful of the impact on families, jobs, health and wellbeing for all of us, but we cannot put at risk the sacrifices we have made. We will not do anything without being as sure as we possibly can be that we do not risk a second significant wave of infection, and therefore have to re-introduce some restrictions.

'….The whole of the UK entered ‘lockdown’ in the same ways and at the same time, and our preference as a government would be that all four nations retain a common approach to lifting the restrictions. However, we have been consistent in making clear that we will take the right decisions in the interests of the people of Wales.

'Our approach here is to be open about those decisions, use the time we have to consider and review the restrictions, and to involve and engage people.

'This document sets out the basis on which we will do this, and contributes to the work underway across the UK to map out the way forward.'

Harm caused by COVID-19 to businesses is highlighted in the third pillar:

“…socioeconomic and other societal harms such as the economic impact on certain socioeconomic groups of not being able to work, impacts on businesses of being closed or facing falling customer demand, psychological harms to the public of social distancing and many others.

Measures to ease the restrictions will need to be supported by a comprehensive public health response, to be developed at scale.

The response will require four strands; improved surveillance, effective case identification and contact tracing, learning from international experience and engaging with the public.”