What if lockdown means isolation?

I LIVE 3.23 miles outside Monmouth in a village. In and around my village there are about 500 residents. We have no fibre broadband service and no mobile phone reception. I am self-employed and my son is 13 and at school locally. I am furious for me and for everyone else living in a village or more remote location in Wales who will be unable to function in the same way as much the rest of Wales and England when we inevitably move into a lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The plan for schools is to move to online lessons and virtual classrooms. My son will not be able to participate due to the lack of broadband here.

Workers should work from home and attend meetings virtually. I cannot attend video meetings, as my broadband will not support that.

The plan for people self-isolating is for them to shop on the internet. I cannot do that as the broadband often will not support this.

I cannot regularly check in with my elderly parents who are already self-isolating due to their age and vulnerabilities by phone or video call, as my mobile reception and broadband will not support that.

I am not alone. There are thousands of people in Wales who live somewhere where it is inconveniently expensive for the Welsh Assembly to invest in proper infrastructure.

I wrote to my AM Nick Ramsay on January 5, 2019, about these issues. He informed me he was waiting to hear where the money available in the Welsh Assembly for internet connectivity was being allocated. I have heard nothing since.

I would like to know the plan for people who are forced to stay at home in lockdown (mirroring Italy) who have no mobile phone reception or functioning broadband of which there are many in Wales. Catriona McIntyre

Monmouthshire