Frustration at lack of hotspot travel ban

FIRST Minister Mark Drakeford has described the UK Government’s proposals for travel restrictions for coronavirus hotspots in England as “inadequate”.

It came as the health minister said there is now evidence that travel to and from areas of England with high rates of Covid19 has contributed to the spread of the virus to other areas of the UK.

Yesterday, Mr Drakeford attended a Cobra meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, to discuss the proposed introduction of a tiered system of local restrictions in England.

Afterwards, a spokeswoman for the First Minister said Mr Drakeford had expressed “deep disappointment” with Mr Johnson’s refusal to back his calls to ban people from English virus hotspots from making nonessential Wales.

The spokeswoman said: “The First Minister expressed deep disappointment at the inadequate proposals for travel restrictions in high-infection areas in England, and said these would be met with great dismay in many parts of Wales where infection rates are lower.”

At the Welsh Government’s Covid-19 press briefing in Cardiff, Health journeys into

Minister Vaughan Gething said Mr Johnson had “chosen not to act” on the issue of travel restrictions.

“Myself and the First Minister are meeting again later today but we’re both really disappointed that the Prime Minister is still taking an approach where there is only going to be guidance on whether people should or shouldn’t travel out of highly infected areas,” Mr Gething said.