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Wales least impressed with UK Government handling of lockdown – YouGov

24 Apr 2020 3 minute read
Picture by Sergeant Tom Robinson RLC (OGL v1.0).

Wales is the least impressed part of Britain with the UK Government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with 51% saying they have handled it well and 45% saying they have handled it badly.

The figures contrast with England where 61% say the UK Government have done a good job compared to only 33% who disagree, according to a YouGov poll for the Times newspaper.

Across the UK backing for the official UK approach remains high, with 60% saying that it is responding well, but this is down from 72% in the days after the lockdown came into force.

Health is devolved to Wales but the governments of the UK have so far largely followed a ‘four nations’ approach to handling the coronavirus.

However, Wales and Scotland have this week set out their own approaches to lifting the lockdown, raising the prospect that different nations in the UK could do so at different times.

Today Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford set out a ‘traffic light’ system for lifting the lockdown in Wales, saying that while the country was currently in a ‘red phase’ it could move to ‘amber’ with some restrictions lifted if the situation improved.

To move to ‘amber’ new hospital admissions would need to have fallen for two weeks and there would need to be evidence that hospitals could cope for at least 14 days if the virus started spreading more widely.

“We will have to have had hospital admissions falling consistently for 14 days,” Mark Drakeford told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with Oliver Hides.

“They have been falling over the last week so it’s not impossible that we will get to that point and in that case we can move into the red zone.”

 

‘Too soon’

Yesterday Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, published a 26-page “framework” for easing the lockdown and discussed plans for reopening schools, businesses and allowing small gatherings.

However today the UK Government said that they “don’t recognise” the Welsh traffic light plan and don’t want to set out lifting measures.

When asked about the Scottish plan Matt Hancock, the health secretary, told Good Morning Britain on ITV: “I know some people are looking in this space but the truth is it is too soon to make changes to the social-distancing rules safely. People should follow the social distancing rules because that is what is needed to keep this virus under control.

“It now looks like we are at the peak and the curve has flattened but it wouldn’t take much to lose that grip that we have on it, and that is why we are being very cautious in this space.”


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j humphrys
j humphrys
4 years ago

Scotland and Wales, once again off the leash give us an indication of our capabilities. But we do obviously need better media!

Ann Owen
Ann Owen
4 years ago

So we need to see numbers falling for 14 days? First Minister we need to see the numbers falling in EVERY PART OF WALES and for more than 14 days! The totals hide the true picture. Also very little testing is done in many rural counties, so the actual extent of the virus is unknown especially as people can be infectious to others without showing symptoms. The unacceptable Betsi Cadwaldr Health Board delay in releasing Covid-19 death figures makes the position even more unclear. We can have no confidence in a 14 day period of falling cases or deaths whatever… Read more »

Jase
Jase
4 years ago

In Drakeford we trust ?

If English blood was the cure most readers of this heavily biased publically funded site would rather die

Dr John Ball
Dr John Ball
4 years ago
Reply to  Jase

You don’t have to read this newspaper – I’m sure the unbiased and informative Sun would d for you

Huw Davies
Huw Davies
4 years ago
Reply to  Dr John Ball

He/she’d probably find a way of falling out with commenters on that paper too. Just something that comes naturally to him/her.

Ceri
Ceri
4 years ago
Reply to  Jase

I, unashamedly and unabashedly, love England. I lived there for many years, in Twickenham no less. I love England and wish her to be free. Cymru am Byth… A Lloegr ‘fyd.

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