ON TWITTER

#FIREBREAK

Wales is to go into a “time-limited firebreak" lockdown from Friday until 9 November, with people told to stay home and nonessential shops among businesses to close.

@clementosuhor posted: “Good decision. We are all tired of Covid and it must be defeated.”

@Bucko77gc commented: “They can't call it a circuit breaker because the English have mentioned that first. Scotland will have to call it something different too.”

@Jasoncarter1975 joked: “Isn’t it just business as usual for Wales?”

@desgreen said: “Summer infections were successfully pushed into Autumn, so now let’s push Autumn infections into Winter. Perfect strategy for hospital capacity.”

@jamsnaxx1 remarked: “The point is if the virus is allowed to continue the hospitals won’t be able to cope. I’m not advocating lockdown by any means but a lot of people miss this point.”

@Gonzaja99 posted: “Health is a devolved matter, but economics and fiscal policy isn’t. Not sure how they can decide to go into a general lockdown without it affecting the rest of the UK.”

@Hermeslass said: “Who is going to enforce the new restrictions? They might be able to force shops to close but (unless Wales has a 'surfeit' of police officers) they will not stop people gathering in their homes, teenagers gathering in parks and border populations from crossing into England.”

@tomjoneschester replied: “Simple commons sense should police it. It is up to us all if we want to control the spread. We cannot police it if people are stupid enough to break it.”

@jeremy_hume commented: “Politicians and government advisers who were caught breaking lockdown/social distancing rules: Cummings, Neil Ferguson, Catherine Calderwood, Rosie Duffield. MP Sammy Wilson was on the tube without a mask. None of them were fined. Why should the public follow the dystopian rules?”

@adrianforest69 said: “Will they be advised to stay home or will it be illegal to leave home. It’s a huge difference. Cross-border holidays here we come.”

@Leedwards28 added: “To achieve what exactly? A slight dip before infection rates rise again once lockdown ends? What will the Welsh Assembly actually do with the time to make it worthwhile?”