2m social distancing could stay for rest of the year – Drakeford
SOCIAL distancing restrictions could remain in place for the rest of 2021 in Wales, Mark Drakeford has said.
The First Minister said the twometre rule is likely to remain “part of people’s response” to Covid-19 for as long as the virus persists, but whether it could become mere advice depended on a continued improving of conditions.
Mr Drakeford said yesterday he would not lift all restrictions on June 21 even if this happened in England, saying Wales would stick to its “careful, cautious” approach complemented by the lowest Covid-19 figures in the UK and the best first dose vaccination figures in the world.
Speaking to Good Morning Britain, ahead of announcing changes to lockdown in Wales, Mr Drakeford said: “If England were to lift all
restrictions on June 21, that would not be the case in Wales.”
And he told BBC Wales: “We have our own timetable. We have a threeweek cycle for decision-making. It’s stood us in very good stead. It’s helped us to get to the position we’re in Wales today – the lowest coronavirus figures anywhere in the UK and the best vaccination figures anywhere in the world.
“We will stick to that careful, cautious, regular rhythm of decisionmaking we have, taking the decisions that are right for Wales. I don’t intend to move away from that.”
Later, at a press briefing, he said social distancing rules remained “one of the strongest defences that we have” against the virus, and that he had been “very struck” by people continuing to be careful about creating space for others.
“I’m not certain myself that there is a huge thirst for people to give up some of the safeguards that we are all able to contribute in the way that we behave in our lives,” Mr Drakeford said. “I think they will remain part of the repertoire here in Wales during the rest of the summer, maybe into the rest of this year.
“Whether we will be able to move from them being mandatory to just things that we advise people about and ask people to do in their own lives, I think that will depend upon whether we continue to see improvements in the position here in Wales.
“But as part of a personal repertoire of things that every one of us can do to keep ourselves and others safe, I think they will remain part of people’s response to this public health crisis for as long as coronavirus persists.”
Welsh Conservative health spokesman Russell George said it was “concerning” that Mr Drakeford had suggested social distancing could stay.
“The vaccine rollout, secured by the UK Government, is doing its job in protecting people and the NHS,” he said.
“But after 15 months of lockdowns and restrictions, people need hope that the vaccines will be accompanied with a very welcome light at the end of the tunnel. The First Minister’s words today have pulled that hope from people who are desperate to get back to normality.
“The current two-metre social distancing rules are hampering businesses and where the science and data allows, we should see that
reduced down to one metre as soon as we can.”
Mr Drakeford also told the briefing he would not set a threshold for vaccination which the country would need to meet before all restrictions are lifted, but said Wales’ “remarkably strong” figures proved its programme was working and included 59% of people aged 18-29 receiving their first jab.
The Welsh Government said more than 85% of the population has had one dose of the vaccine in Wales and 45% has had both.
Mr Drakeford also said that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) approval of the use of the Pfizer vaccine for 12 to 15-year-olds meant children could receive jabs “in the remaining part of this summer term” or when schools return in the autumn.
“It’s not the end of the journey because now the JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] has to consider that and we will follow the JCVI’s advice as we have throughout,” he told a press conference in Cardiff.
“If the JCVI does recommend that we go ahead and vaccinate young people in that age group, then we have already been in conversation with the sector about the best way that we can do that. A little bit does depend on timing, how quickly we get that advice, whether there’s anything that can be done in the remaining part of this summer term, or whether we end up carrying out vaccinations when children return to school in the autumn.”
Mr Drakeford said there was already a programme for vaccinating young people against seasonal flu in Welsh schools.
Earlier, the First Minister said the outcome of Wales’ next review of restrictions depended on whether or not growing cases of the Indian variant increase pressure on the NHS.
Mr Drakeford warned that preliminary evidence showed the variant, of which there are 97 cases in Wales, could be leading to greater levels of hospital admissions, primarily among young, unvaccinated people.
Outdoor events with up to 10,000 people sitting – or 4,000 people standing – will be able to resume in Wales from Monday, while groups of up to 30 people can meet outdoors and extended households can expand to include a third.
The partial move to Alert Level One will not include increasing the number of people able to meet indoors or attend indoor events due to the Welsh Government wanting more evidence about the effect of the variant.
The next set of eased restrictions is expected to come in following the June 21 review but Mr Drakeford said yesterday a decision on further relaxing rules would depend on the link between transmissions of the mutated Covid-19 strain and hospital admissions.
He said: “It’s not risk-free, that strategy, because that assumes that there will be greater circulation of the virus in the community and when you allow coronavirus to circulate the opportunities for new variants emerging increase as well.
“But if the link between falling ill and needing to be treated in hospital is broken, then it will mean that in the future we will have to find ways of living with coronavirus more like the way we live with the seasonal flu.”
Preliminary evidence showed the variant was causing greater hospital admissions among young people, he said, with the “considerable majority” of those unvaccinated, but also including those who had received the vaccine.
“But if that doesn’t turn out to be the case, then beyond these three weeks we will be able to move forward further and to do more to continue to lift restrictions in Wales,” Mr Drakeford said.
Wales’ seven-day infection rate is eight per 100,000 people in the week up to May 30.
Public Health Wales said yesterday there were 71 new cases of Covid-19 in Wales, taking the total in the country since the start of the pandemic to 212,999, while another day of no Covid-related deaths means the total remains at 5,569.