MORNING SERIAL
THIS incident had serious long-term implications, because it meant that Wales was tied into a dual testing system, with some tests going to the privately run Lighthouse Labs (which had long delays and even incorrectly told thousands of people they were negative) and others going through the Welsh system, which used a different type of swab, so it was hard to co-ordinate where different tests went.
Though perhaps Wales should count its blessings that it had any tests at all. In March 2020, the Welsh Government thought it had secured a deal with pharmaceutical giant Roche for 5,000 tests a day.
Unfortunately, this deal was commandeered by the UK government, meaning Wales only got a small percentage of what it expected. As a result, testing volume in Wales was below requirement throughout the first surge of the virus.
Finally, the pandemic highlighted the problem of having such a hodgepodge devolution settlement. Take prisons, for example.
Prisons were one of the most at-risk places in society during a Covid outbreak. With all those people in tightly-packed living conditions, the reasons for concern were clear, and there were a few early outbreaks in Welsh facilities.
But prisons in Wales come under the jurisdiction of the UK Government, whereas healthcare within them is the responsibility of the Welsh Government. You can imagine the confusion this can cause. Even a dysfunctional system can muddle along in normal times.
It isn’t ideal, but it will do. When a crisis happens, however, the weaknesses are exposed. All those little cracks in the road fill with water overnight, freeze and become potholes.
And the big problem is, in recent years the ‘normal times’ haven’t happened. With Brexit and Covid, the need for a functional system, especially for one of the poorest parts of the UK, is more important than ever.
We all know that the climate crisis is already here and is going to get worse over the coming decades; this basket case of a system just isn’t going to cut it.
> Independent Nation by Will Hayward is published by Biteback Publishing at £15 hardback and £9.99 ebook, https://www. bitebackpublishing.com/books/ independent-nation
CONTINUES TOMORROW