Drakeford ‘wouldn’t have put Portugal on green list’ in the first place

Mark Drakeford has said that he would not have put Portugal on the green list in the first place.

The First Minister reacting to the news that the popular holiday destination is being moved to the amber international travel list by the UK Government from 4am on Tuesday 8 June.

He suggested that the he would have taken a more “precautionary approach” in Wales by looking at it through a “lens” of “not allowing reimportation of the virus”.

The move by the UK Government, amid increased concern about the spread of variants of Covid-19, including a mutation of the Delta variant, means that travellers returning to Wales from Portugal will need to self-isolate on their return.

When asked on Sky News if he would have put Portugal on the green list in the first place, Mark Drakeford replied: “Well, we would always take a more precautionary approach here in Wales.

“Truthfully, we would not have put Portugal on to the green list three weeks ago and I think it’s always important to, that our first lens that we look at these things through should be keeping people in Wales and in the United Kingdom safe, not allowing reimportation of the virus and that would be the course of action that we would follow from a Welsh perspective.

‘Right decision’ 

When asked if it was the right decision to move Portugal to the amber list, he said: “Yes, it was the right decision. The figures in Portugal put them into that amber category, and in order to make sure the virus isn’t reimported into the United Kingdom and into Wales, that was the right decision.

Health Minister, Eluned Morgan said: “Our message is clear – this is the year to holiday at home.

“We’re calling on people to only travel overseas for essential reasons. We have all sacrificed so much to control the pandemic in Wales, we do not want to see the virus re-imported – or new variants come into the country – as a result of overseas travel.”

All travellers to amber countries must quarantine for 10 days on return and take a Covid test on day two and eight. The Welsh Government has put in place plans to physically contact travellers during the 10 day quarantine period.