Welsh ministers requested to produce a clear roadmap for the end of the Covid-19 lock down after Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched clear plans for England.
Boris Johnson has outlined potential dates for lifting Covid rules in a clear & detailed step by step plan showing.
The Welsh Government issued very few dates for opening very few sectors on Friday, However Welsh Conservative group leader Andrew RT Davies said that had been a “missed opportunity”.
The Welsh Government said it did not want to raise people’s hopes too early.
21st of June is englands target to have all legal limits on social contact removed within Mr Johnson’s four-step plan, subject to strict tests being met on vaccines, infection rates and new any variants of coronavirus, sounding careful.
Schools in England are to open as soon as 8 March. on the 12th of April the plan lays out for the opening of Gyms, hairdressers, shops, and outdoor hospitality.
Mr Johnson told MPs stated the plan is to be “cautious but irreversible” and at every stage decisions would be led by “data not dates”.
Ministers in Wales have pledged to send children back to school in a phased mannor, aiming to see all pupils return by the start of the summer term in mid-April.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has mentioned allowing some self-catering accommodation to reopen in time for Easter, and that non-essential retail can begin to reopen from 15 March. But with everything still in lock down will this make a difference?
Stay at home rules may or may not be lifted in three weeks, and hairdressers and other close contact-services may resume at the same time.
No dates have been provided for sectors such as hospitality or gyms woth an estimated £6 billion in Wales.
No dates on the Welsh Governments plan have been stated for Wales to exit level 4 lock down
“How quickly we can move fully to alert level three, and the number of things we can do at each step are unfortunately not things we can set out in advance with dates,” Wales’s control plan said.
“We will need to continuously reassess the impact of previous relaxations, consider the headroom available to make more changes, and consider the latest evidence on [variants and mutations of concern] and the impact of vaccines. “We really need to start moving forward now in a safe way”
Mr Davies said it was “time for Labour ministers to cut out the politics by working with the UK Government to adopt a common framework on key restrictions as we move out of lockdown”.
“Last week’s Welsh Government briefing was a missed opportunity to provide a route forward and announce greater support for business, and Mark Drakeford must now fill the void and outline a roadmap to recovery with windows of opportunity for people and businesses.
“The first minister should move quickly and either issue a roadmap to recovery for Wales, or better still, confirm he will work with the UK Government to pursue a joined-up approach.”
A Welsh Government spokesman said ministers had published a document on how Wales will come out of lock down.
“we cannot provide as much certainty and predictability as we would like” in a response regarding new variants of the virus
“Our approach will be to ease restrictions in gradual steps, listening to the medical and scientific advice and assessing the impact of the changes we make as we go along.
“We will give as much notice to people and businesses as we can. When we believe that it’s safe to ease restrictions we will do so.
“What we don’t want to do is raise people’s hopes and expectations too early, and then disappoint them. We will align with the other UK nations when it is appropriate and makes sense for Wales.”
What do you think?
Is it too early to come out of full lock down?
Is it to early to set out possible roadmap like England?
Let us know in the comments