GPs to First Minister: ‘Make staying at second homes illegal until pandemic is over’
A group of GPs has written to the First Minister and Health Minister urging tougher action on second homes in Wales, including making second home occupation illegal until the Covid-19 emergency is over.
The letter signed by 17 doctors calls for the following:
- Make second home use illegal until the risk posed by SARS-CoV-2 has abated, even when lockdown restrictions begin to ease in other parts of Wales and the UK, in order to prevent a second peak
- Prolong lockdown measures in rural tourist hotspot areas of Wales, specifically targetting non-essential travel into these areas.
- Empower the Police Service of Wales to enforce the above, with the power to compel those breaching these restrictions without reasonable excuse to return to their primary residence.
“We write with increasing concern about tourist and holiday homes in rural Wales and the danger they pose in relation to the current public health emergency,” the letter says.
“Without implementing the above we face a very real possibility of a second peak in areas such as North and West Wales.
“This could happen at the very worst of times – when staff resilience will be at rock bottom, after weeks and months of pressure, and when global supplies of medical and personal protective equipment have been depleted.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
The very idea that someone can have a part-time, second home, when other people struggle to get a first one is shocking in itself!!
“The Police Service of Wales”? Somebody’s thinking ahead.
That’s a new one to me, and you ! Guess they been watching you for years and you thought it was GogPlod all along. As for me I’m O.K , too many Huw Davies in the book and we all look the same !
Such jealousy by the doctors of Cymru! Diolch yn Fawr, Docs!
I thought the time-worn word was ‘envy’, JH?
Of course! Sorry.
“This non-essential population movement is highly likely to increase the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in rural areas”.
Notice that there is zero scientific basis to this claim, no reference to data, patterns, links to sources. This is pure unprofessional conjecture.
There is no scientific data to show that there is any additional health risks to freedom of movement. On the contrary, one merely has to look at the example of Sweden: http://www.theblogmire.com/a-comparison-of-lockdown-uk-with-non-lockdown-sweden/
You know as well as I do Simon Nats are revelling in lockdown, its brought about a situation they could only previously dream of …..
You’re a sick individual if you think that the people of Wales would want to make political capital out of a public health crisis. The GPs are merely stating the facts and asking for government measures to to reduce the risk.
I do because that’s what some of them have actually told me
Well, duuh! Obviously people will be relieved to see the holiday homers kept out on the orders of the Welsh Government. Unpallatable to you it may be, but it’s so obviously necessary it hardly seems worth your while to have objected to it. The doctors know what they’re talking about.
Sweden: Pop 8.4M total cases: 16,004 deaths:1,937.
Austria : Pop 8.4M total cases: 14,925 deaths: 510.
How many of those doctors are or have been Plaid Cymru members?
Dunno. Ask them if you’re that interested.