Hope group action can mean no need for wider

WALES’ First Minister Mark Drakeford has explained why RCT and Merthyr Tydfil have not yet gone into local lockdown.

Parts of the lower Rhondda have seen a dramatic rise in cases centred around Porth, Penygraig and Tonypandy.

There are fears RCT may be put into a lockdown, as seen in Caerphilly. However, in Friday’s Welsh Government press conference the First Minister outlined the reasons why the outbreak in RCT was different to that of Caerphilly.

One key difference, and the reason why a wider lockdown hasn’t been ordered, is that widespread community transmission is not yet happening.

“We review these matters on a daily basis and the inter-disciplinary team will get back together again on Monday and we will take our advice from them,” he said.

“Where an outbreak can be traced to a specific premises as it was in Anglesey or when you know that the numbers are rising because of a particular cluster of people who have already been contacted by our trace, test, protect system, then it is possible to deal with those things by local measures that don’t intrude into the lives of the wider community.

“When the virus begins to spread beyond particular premises or particular groups of people then I am afraid that you have to introduce measures that the wider community are obliged to follow and that has happened in Caerphilly.

“We are no longer dealing there with a particular factory or workplace or particular groups of people, we have levels of community spread that can only be dealt with by community action.

“If we can continue to deal with the rise in numbers in Merthyr and RCT by getting on top of the particular groups or particular workplaces but the jury will not come in on that until after the weekend.”

He added the area most at risk was lower Rhondda.

“The rise in numbers in RCT is confined to a particular part of the county borough,” he said.

“We are not seeing the same rise in the Cynon or Taff Ely as we have seen in the lower Rhondda.

“Actions that we will take will need to be proportionate and focus on where the problem lies. When we published our local lockdown plan in August we set out a menu of actions that could be taken in any lockdown and we are adding to the list of options that could be taken.”

In order to get the outbreaks under control, Mr Drakeford said there was a long list of measures they could take.

He said curfews “may be necessary” but there could also be moves targeting alcohol consumption, particularly late at night.

He said: “We are looking at the possibility that we may be able to close premises earlier in the evening than is currently the case.

“We are looking at whether it might be necessary to restrict the amount of alcohol that a person can buy at any one time.”

Ultimately the decision is made by the First Minister, but he will be guided by the team on the ground.

“I don’t think I am the best person to identify the things on the menu that will be most effective in a local lockdown in RCT should that be necessary,” he said at the Welsh Government press conference.

“That will be for the local interdisciplinary team who meet to look at all the figures and circumstances to make recommendations to us. That is what happened in Caerphilly.

“The local team wrote to us with a list of things they wanted us to consider.”

The Welsh Government does not believe a lockdown is inevitable. Though if the rate the virus is spreading does not slow, a local lockdown will almost certainly be introduced.