Covid: Wales lockdown supermarket rules 'need urgent debate'

Pressure is mounting on the Welsh Government to reverse a ban on supermarkets selling "non-essential" items such as clothing in Wales.

A petition on the issue has more than 27,000 signatures - those that attract over 5,000 are debated in the Senedd.

Welsh Conservatives leader Paul Davies said the Senedd should be recalled to "urgently debate" the measure.

The Welsh Government said the firebreak was designed to limit contact between households.

Supermarkets have been told they can only sell "essential" items and must close parts of their stores which sell products such as clothes, shoes, toys and bedding during Wales' 17-day "firebreak lockdown".

The petition, asking that supermarkets should be allowed to sell "non-essential" items, is only the fourth ever sent to the Senedd to top 25,000 signatures.

Jodi Merry, from Rhondda Cynon Taf, said the ban has come at an awkward time as she was planning to buy new clothes for her eight-year-old son after she gets paid next week.

"It's just an inconvenience," she said.

"My eight-year-old is tall for his age and getting clothes for him is hard enough as it is. I can't just go online and order stuff. I know we can't try clothes on in the shop but I can at least gauge whether it will fit him by holding it up to him.

"I know it's only two weeks, and we're a lot better off than others, but the fact of the matter is, he doesn't have any winter pyjamas at the moment and with pay day in a few days I would have got some.

"Everything is essential when it's something you desperately need and nobody should be controlling what you can and can't buy in the supermarket. At the end of the day, clothing, shoes and even bedding are definitely essentials."

The move has also led to some confusion over what supermarkets can and cannot sell.

The Welsh Government tweeted to say: "Supermarkets can keep selling items you can find in other essential shops - such as stationery/greeting cards.

"The purpose of selling essential items only during firebreak is to discourage spending more time than necessary in shops and to be fair to retailers who have to close."

It continued: "This is not for the sake of being difficult - we need to do everything we can to minimise the time we spend outside our homes. This will help save lives and protect the NHS."

In a statement, the Welsh Government added: "The fire-break is designed to reduce all physical contact between households to an absolute minimum in order to slow the spread of coronavirus and save lives.  

"We have a small window in which to take this action and there are no easy choices. However, we fully recognise the impact the fire-break will have on businesses and are making a further £300 million available to support them through this difficult period."

In calling for the return of the Senedd/Welsh Parliament, Welsh Conservative leader Paul Davies said: "People are concerned at being prevented from buying products such as books, bins, baby clothes in local shops and this is forcing them to purchase online or to make extra journeys to multiple shops searching for them."

He added that members of the Senedd should be able to discuss the matter virtually.

The presiding officer has been approached for comment.

Previous petitions to surpass 20,000 signatures related to the proposed closure of the A&E department at Withybush Hospital in Pembrokeshire (40,045), a call to teach black history in Welsh schools (34,736) and for 2020 exam grades to be awarded via teacher assessments (28,505).