‘Here we go again’ introduction of a
“PART of me feels like ‘here we go again’ but I don’t find it surprising”.
This was the general feeling in the centre of Swansea after news broke that the city is going into lockdown from 6pm tomorrow.
The announcement came after a sharp increase in the number of coronavirus cases over the past seven to 10 days. Just a week ago the Swansea figure was around 12 cases per 100,000. It now stands at 56.3.
We asked shoppers and traders in Swansea city centre what they thought.
Claire Passmore, 40, lives in Skewen but will have to travel to and fro to Swansea for work.
“I’m one of the ones that’s going to have to cross the border,” she said.
“It is worrying in a way and part of me feels like ‘here we go again’ but given what’s been happening in the other counties I don’t find it that surprising. I am seeing a lot of people doing the right things, wearing the masks and washing their hands, but it’s clearly not enough so as worrying as this is I think it’s probably the right choice.
“The pandemic is not something that we have been prepared for and this is something that we and the government are learning on the hop so you’ve just got to take it day to day.
“If the day-to-day cases are rising despite what rules we have in place we just have to change.”
Steve Murphy, from Swansea, believes that the
younger generation are to blame for the new restrictions being put in place.
He said: “The young ones need to do as they
are told. If they don’t do as they’re told then we’ll be on lockdown longer.
“It’s affecting the NHS, the economy, shops, bars, jobs, everything.
“I think the younger people are to blame.”
Chrissie Mosey works in the city centre but lives in Llanelli. The 31-year-old believes that people struggling to follow “confusing rules” has led to more measures being introduced.
“I was half expecting it but I’m worrying because I work in Swansea and it’s not really an essential shop where I work.
“Staff were just coming back from furlough and now we don’t know how
I could see that it was imminent with Bridgend going into lockdown
- Gemma Brown, from
Swansea
long this is going to last.
“I think it’s down to the way it’s been handled because there have been so many confusing rules.
“I think how late masks came into place as well, especially in schools, has a lot to do with it.”
Gemma Brown is a nurse from Swansea.
She said that she felt a local lockdown would be “imminent” after hearing about an increase in cases.
The 43-year-old said: “I wasn’t actually surprised to be honest. I could see that it was imminent with Bridgend going into lockdown so I knew we wouldn’t be too far behind. Obviously it’s the increasing numbers of cases but whether it’s the students returning back to university I don’t know, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
Rob and Rhys Williams, who run The Market Plaice in Swansea Market, said that many of their customers travel from Neath, Bridgend and Cardiff to do their shopping.
“It’s a bit worrying but people in Swansea will still be going shopping and getting their food so we should be okay,” they said. “We do get a lot of people that come in from surrounding areas though, from Neath, but we’re not entirely sure which areas are classed as what at the moment.”
The pair believe that a lack of social distancing and an increase in “the amount of parties” were just some of the reasons behind the local lockdown.
“I think it’s the amount of parties and people not abiding by the rules,” Rob explained.
“There’s a lot of people who don’t social distance as well but it’s a factor of loads of things. It’s going to have a knock-on effect because we do get a lot of people from Bridgend and Cardiff coming down on day trips so we will lose a lot of trade that way.”
Rhys added: “I think we were given a bit too much freedom at the start and we were told to go to the restaurants and the pubs and I think everybody took full advantage of that and it’s materialised from that. I think people are starting to worry as well, especially the elderly I’ve noticed have dropped off from here.”
Swansea Market trader Carol Watts believes that businesses will be hit hard by the new restrictions.
The owner of the Gower Cockles and Shellfish stall in Swansea Market said she thinks we should have started wearing face coverings sooner.
“I don’t think I was really surprised because in a way we were expecting it,” she said. “I think perhaps we should have been wearing masks sooner because right from the very beginning we asked the question.
“I think a lot of schools have gone back now, there have been holidaymakers and everyone has travelled here, there and everywhere so I suppose it’s a bit of everything.”
The young ones need to do as they are told. If they don’t do as they’re told then we’ll be on lockdown longer - Steve Murphy,
from Swansea