Wales bans travel from all high risk areas of UK
WALES will ban entry to people from areas of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland with high levels of coronavirus from tomorrow – if Boris Johnson fails to impose UK-wide travel restrictions.
First minister Mark Drakeford said the measure will be used to ‘prevent people travelling into Wales from high prevalence areas’ after the prime minister failed to respond to two letters asking him to enact the policy UK-wide.
The ban will bring the rest of Britain in line with measures in place in the 17 areas of Wales under local lockdown restrictions.
Mr Drakeford told the Welsh parliament: ‘No reply from the prime minister has been received in reply to my request. I have therefore asked for the necessary work which would allow for devolved powers to be used.’
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, he said: ‘This is not about trying to create a border. It is protecting areas and communities who feel very anxious that people will come from outside and spread the virus.
‘These are rural parts of our country and people are very, very fearful of what might happen to them.’ He said he had received support from Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon, adding: ‘Now is the time for the prime minister to do the same thing.’
Ms Sturgeon advised Scots against travelling to highrisk areas of England as she linked Blackpool to a ‘large and growing number’ of cases in Scotland.
She warned Celtic and Rangers fans not to travel to the town to watch Saturday’s Old Firm match in pubs. Northern Ireland is to enter a period of intensified restrictions as it announced pubs and restaurants will close for four weeks, apart from takeaways, while schools will close on Monday for two weeks. It comes as 1,217 new cases were recorded in 24 hours, a new daily record. First minister Arlene Foster told a special sitting of the Assembly that the rising figures were of ‘grave concern’. Colin Neill, chief executive of Hospitality Ulster, said the decision has left businesses reeling.