Local lockdowns could be considered as second wave plans outlined

Plans to prepare Wales for a potential second wave of coronavirus have been unveiled by Welsh Government.

The plans, which include potential local and regional lockdowns, were revealed by health minister Vaughan Gething today (Tuesday, August 18).

As part of the plans, local or regional lockdowns could be introduced if cases of Covid-19 in a particular area spike, while the reintroduction of measures covering all of Wales could also be considered, should cases rise across the country.

Regional lockdowns could see businesses forced to close, limits on people meeting up brought back, and restrictions put in place similar to those in place at the beginning of lockdown in March.

Regional lockdowns have taken place in parts of England, including Leicester, Luton and Greater Manchester, among others, while in Scotland, Aberdeen has been placed under restrictions.

According to data released by Public Health Wales, no coronavirus-related deaths were recorded in Wales on Monday (August 17), with the death total currently standing at 1,589.

However, 24 new confirmed cases of the virus were reported, meaning there has now been 17,599 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Wales.

Mr Gething said: “Coronavirus has not gone away, so it’s vital we continue to monitor, adapt and plan for any future outbreaks.

“We know that this virus prefers cold weather and, with autumn approaching, the plan sets out further steps we will take to keep Wales safe. 

“We are placing a huge importance on prevention. By getting that stage right we can avoid further restrictions on our lives.

None of us wants to see another lockdown like we saw in March this year.”

The health minister added: “We have shown that, working with partners, we can efficiently and effectively manage small incidents and outbreaks – as we saw in Anglesey and Merthyr Tydfil. 

“Our key messages is that each person, businesses and organisation has their part to play in preventing the spread of coronavirus.”

Mr Gething has also announced £32m funding in an attempt to speed up the turnaround times of coronavirus test results in Wales.

He said: “This investment will ensure we have the laboratory capacity in Wales to deliver our Test, Trace, Protect strategy to keep coronavirus under control, and be ready for the winter.

I hope we don’t need to use all the testing capacity this investment will create, but we have to be prepared.

“The science tells us the virus will spread more quickly in the colder, wetter months so we can expect an increase in spread later this year.”