Coronavirus: Wales has 'begun to come over peak'

Mark Drakeford

First Minister Mark Drakeford says he is not certain Wales had surpassed the peak enough to ease restrictions

Wales has "begun to come over the peak of coronavirus", First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

He previously said restrictions could be gradually eased at the end of the current three-week lockdown period.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the UK was "past the peak" and vowed to set out a plan next week on how to restart the economy.

But Mr Drakeford added: "Whether we have come over it far enough is another matter."

"When the prime minister says that we have begun to come over the peak of coronavirus, I think that is true in Wales," he said at the Welsh Government's daily briefing on Friday.

He explained the numbers of patients in critical care beds with the virus were coming down and "we believe that we have effectively suppressed coronavirus in the community, whether we have done it enough to lift the lockdown will depend on the tests that we apply".

The first minister said more information would need to be provided to the public in the coming days on how the current restrictions would be eased.

Mr Drakeford told journalists: "As we go through next week, we will need to begin to be more concrete with people about the specifics of how we would come out of lockdown."

He said it would give people confidence "we're planning for it and we're planning for it in a way that will keep them safe".

Earlier on Friday, Mr Drakeford told BBC Radio 4's Today programme facilities such as libraries and gyms will need new rules in place once the restrictions are eased to make people feel safe enough to use them.

Reuters

"You can open up anything you like but if people don't think it's safe, they won't come," he said.

The framework outlined by Mr Drakeford last week, which he described as "like a traffic light in reverse", included questions to consider before decisions are made around relaxing restrictions.

They are:

  • Would easing a restriction have a negative effect on containing the virus?

  • Does a particular measure pose a low risk of further infection?

  • How can it be monitored and enforced?

  • Can it be reversed quickly if it creates unintended consequences?

  • Does it have a positive economic benefit?

  • Does it have a positive impact on people's wellbeing?

  • Does it have a positive impact on equality?

But Mr Drakeford also tightened some rules, including stipulating that cyclists should not travel further than a "reasonable walking distance from home" and sitting "for a prolonged period" outdoors.

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