MORNING SERIAL
SO for instance in sport Wales was in the red zone but for ‘relaxing and special occasions’ it was still in the lockdown section. Even when a section moved from one colour to another all those bullet points were not entered into at once.
In sport, Wales was in the red zone but only “exercise more than once a day and incidental activity locally” was allowed, outdoor sport courts did not.
A week on from Boris Johnson’s announcement, how did the England and Wales lockdowns compare? In terms of timescale the Welsh Government released no dates at all for when restrictions would change, with Mark Drakeford saying it will be “when the scientific and medical advice tells us it is safe to do so”. In England there were timeframes given with pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, beauty salons, places of worship and cinemas all to be allowed open by July 4.
Whereas in Wales there was the traffic light system, in England there were ‘the three steps’ underpinned by the ‘Covid alert system’ which had five levels which would dictate how quickly they amended the lockdown.
England and Wales were now on different paths to tackling the virus and lifting the lockdown. Something that would have been fairly surprising at the start of the crisis.
10. ‘Welcome to the opticians, if you would please start your engine we can begin’
May 18 to May 24
■ Wales’ confirmed Covid-19 cases – 12,404
■ Wales deaths – 1,207
■ UK confirmed cases – 223,236
■ UK deaths – 33,958
MAY 18 and the new week started with a technical briefing from the darling of Twitter, deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam. Since the start of the crisis people who suspected they may have coronavirus had been given the same advice. If you had either a high temperature (it was not needed to actually take your temperature, just that you feel hot to touch on the chest or back) or a new, continuous cough (coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in twenty-four hours) you were supposed to isolate for seven days.
> Lockdown Wales by Will Hayward £9.99 www.serenbooks.com/ productdisplay/lockdown-wales ISBN 9781781726013