Covid: Wales to go into 'firebreak' lockdown from Friday

Wales will go into a "short, sharp" national lockdown from Friday until Monday, 9 November.

People will be told to stay at home, while pubs, restaurants, hotels and non-essential shops will shut.

Primary schools will reopen after the half-term break, but only Years 7 and 8 in secondary schools will return at that time under new "firebreak" rules.

Gatherings indoors and outdoors with people not in your household will also be banned.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the "time-limited 'firebreak'" will be "a short, sharp, shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and buy us more time".

Without action the NHS will not be able to look after those falling sick, he told a press conference.

Leisure businesses, community centres, libraries and recycling centres will shut. Places of worship will be closed for normal services, except for funerals and weddings.

The announcement follows rising case numbers in Wales and increasing hospital admissions, and replaces the 17 local lockdowns that had been in place.

Figures now stand at 130 coronavirus cases per 100,000 over seven days - there were 4,127 cases recorded between 9 and 15 October.

Halloween and Bonfire Night gatherings will not be allowed under the restrictions which begin at 18:00 BST on Friday, the start of the half-term holiday.

But there will be an exception for small Remembrance Sunday commemoration services on 8 November.

Non-essential cross border travel in and out of Wales "will have to end" during the firebreak period, Mr Drakeford said.

Universities in Wales will continue to provide "a blend of in-person and online learning".

If students have reading weeks or half-term they will also need to stay at home in their university accommodation, the first minister said.

The Welsh Government has provided a package of almost £300m to support businesses.

The rules will be similar to the lockdown in March:

People breaching the rules could be fined, with fixed penalty notices starting at £60.

Adults living alone or single parents will be able to join with one other household from anywhere in Wales for support.

Existing rules on face masks - requiring them to be worn in public places indoors - will stay in place.

The previous lockdown continued for months past its initial three weeks, but Mr Drakeford said the firebreak will end on 9 November.

"I've heard some people say, 'oh, the figures won't be down by the 9th of November, so the period will have to continue' - that is not the test to set," he said.

At Monday's Welsh Government press conference Mr Drakeford said a national lockdown was needed "partly because the gap between those parts of Wales where we have not needed local lockdowns, and local lockdown areas have been narrowing".

Mr Drakeford said now there "has to be an effort in which every single person, and every single part of Wales makes a contribution".

He said he made Monday's announcement with "a heavy heart".

"We all want to see an end to this pandemic and our lives returned to us. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a vaccine, which will allow us to do that.

"So this is our best chance of regaining control of the virus and avoiding a much-longer - and damaging - national lockdown."

The two weeks will be used "very purposefully", the first minister said, allowing for more staff to be recruited for contact tracing and allow others to "catch up on the huge volume of contacts that have to be contacted and traced" from recent weeks.

A new £300m fund for firms affected will open next week.

The Welsh Government said every firm covered by small business rates relief would receive a £1,000 payment.

Small and medium-sized retail, leisure and hospitality firms that have to close will get a one-off payment of up to £5,000.

There will be additional discretionary grants and support for smaller firms that are struggling, the government said.

It added that firms would be able to access the support available under the new UK government Job Support Scheme, which will cover 67% of workers pay at businesses forced to shut.

The union Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru said the Welsh Government's decision that primary school children and secondary school children in Years 7and 8 should return after half-term was "a sensible balance in these circumstances".

In August, the Welsh Government launched its 'Coronavirus Control Plan for Wales' outlining a strategy to "avoid returning to a national lockdown".

So, two months later, as we prepare for another lockdown, has that plan and those lines of defence failed?

The first minister talked in his press conference about using the two week firebreak "very purposefully" to strengthen the contact tracing system and accelerating the establishment of field hospitals.

He also said they will be looking at the system of fines. Could we see people receiving fixed penalty notices for not self-isolating? There was no direct answer today.

The speed at which tests are being processed is still a major issue. But most of Wales' tests and most of the problems are in the UK government's lighthouse labs so out of their control.

But Mr Drakeford said it is "quite likely" that one crucial aspect is unlikely to have improved by the end of the firebreak period - the number of Covid-19 cases and hospitalisations.

Regardless, he ruled out an extension beyond 9 November but at the same time he did not rule out another firebreak lockdown in a few months' time.

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said a firebreak was a "last resort" and should only be used in an emergency.

"We are now in an emergency," he said.

"The time the firebreak buys us must be used to build up a resilient test, trace and isolate system in Wales, which means we can prevent being in the position we're currently in."

Paul Davies, Welsh Conservative leader, accused the first minister of "failing to be open and transparent about the evidence".

He added: "The main concern is that this national lockdown is not proportionate.

"The impact on businesses in areas such as Powys, Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, who have the lowest rate of Covid-19 cases in Wales, will be severe at a time when they are desperately struggling to recover from the pandemic so far this year."