‘changes will allow people to take step towards normality’
WALES’ “cautious” approach to easing lockdown measures has been largely welcomed by leading healthcare experts.
First Minister Mark Drakeford announced yesterday that people from two households will be allowed to meet one another outside – while adhering to social distancing – from Monday.
However, he said that as a general rule of thumb, people should only travel five miles away from their homes to stop the virus spreading across different communities.
Mr Drakeford confirmed that people can leave the house to sunbathe in parks and use the beach as long as it is local and not outside the five-mile radius.
Vulnerable people with very serious health conditions who were sent letters to “shield” will still have to stay indoors until advice states otherwise.
In England, groups of six people will be able to meet outside from Monday, while in Scotland people can now meet their friends and family outside but must do so in groups of no more than eight.
Referring to the five-mile rule, which has been described as “arbitrary” by the Welsh Conservatives and could have a detrimental impact on more isolated rural communities, Mr Drakeford said: “What I’m asking people to do is to use that judgement seriously and soberly.
“The further you travel, the greater the risk that is posed to yourself and others of coronavirus ending up in parts of Wales where we’ve succeeded in keeping it to a minimum.
“Nobody I think wants to do that. If you can manage within a five-mile radius for food and medicines and essential things that’s what you should do.
“If your bit of Wales means you’ve got to go further, use your judgement.”
He added: “Coronavirus has not gone away – it remains a silent spreader. You can be infectious without ever knowing that you are ill.”
Commenting on Wales’ approach, Dr Farbod Babolhavaeji, a consultant in emergency medicine at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, said: “For 10 weeks now the people of Wales have on the whole behaved within the spirit of the rules to protect themselves and the NHS.
“However, the strict rules may be unsustainable in the long term. These slight changes will allow people to take a step towards normalisation. Social distancing rules and hand-washing should still be adhered to, and those who are symptomatic or living with those who are symptomatic should self-isolate as per guidance.
“Hopefully this will release some of the tension people are feeling and improve wellbeing.
“However, there is a chance that this may revert to full lockdown again if the infection rate increases again and I think everyone should be prepared that that may happen.
“As the government’s own message puts it, we all have to adhere to the rules otherwise it will be to everyone’s detriment.”
On the differences between Wales and the rest of the UK nations, Dr Babolhavaeji added: “It’s a more cautious approach in Wales which I personally appreciate as a strategy.
“It means if we need to lock down again it will be easier and also means that there’s scope for a more gradual unlocking as more data becomes available.
“The only way we’ll know if it’s effective versus any other nations’ strategies is with the data, but subjectively I feel more confident with the approach the Welsh Government is taking.”
Similarly, Nicky Hughes, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Wales’ associate director of nursing (employment relations), said: “This is the next step in the journey. We know that people have found it difficult to be away from family and friends over the past 10 weeks.
“From a public and community point of view this will be a very positive development for people’s mental health and wellbeing.
“We have seen the benefits of the lockdown and the guidelines on handwashing and social distancing which has led to slowing down the spread of Covid-19.
“This small change is a sensible first-step approach. Our nursing staff and carers also have family that they may want to visit in a safe and precautionary environment.
“As an organisation we are supporting our members both in terms of their physical and mental health.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Wales, Phil White, chairman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) Welsh GP committee, added: “I think what you need to do is help ease the burden that people are suffering, of not seeing friends or relatives.
“But you don’t really want them travelling far and wide across this country. The idea is to control this virus, about which we know relatively little, and gradually get things back to normal. I think a sudden surge of people travelling around would be detrimental . . . there is evidence from Italy that the very quick spread of the illness very early on was caused by people moving around the country from the area that was in lockdown, which spread the virus quite successfully.”
Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said he was seeing a more “encouraging picture” developing in the number of new cases being stable or reducing, as well as the number of people in critical care with coronavirus going down.
He added: “Staff across the health and care sector have responded brilliantly to the challenges they have faced since the beginning of the pandemic.
“The courage they have shown in the face of extreme adversity has been outstanding. So far, the NHS in Wales have discharged over 5,500 coronavirus patients.
“However, any changes to the lockdown must protect our health and care system, and ensure we are able to retain the capacity we have created to treat those patients who have the greatest need and give those people severely affected the best chance of survival.”