Wales emerges from 2-week 'firebreak' lockdown

Non-essential retailers in Wales have been permitted to reopen as the country emerged Monday from its 17-day firebreak lockdown.

The country’s first minister Mark Drakeford announced the “short, sharp” action last month to “regain control of coronavirus” and stop health services from being overwhelmed.

It meant all non-essential retailers were closed, alongside hospitality businesses, hairdressers, beauticians, and hotels.

The country’s health minister Vaughan Gething said Sunday there had been a “levelling off” of Covid-19 case rates, but added that it would take another two weeks for the full impact of the lockdown to be seen.

First minister Mark Drakeford warned the public not to become complacent now the lockdown is over. “We all need to think about our own lives and what we can all do to keep our families safe. We need to stop thinking about the maximum limit of rules and regulations,” he said.

“Coronavirus is a highly infectious virus - it thrives on contact between people. To keep each other safe we need to reduce the number of people we have contact with and the amount of time we spend with them.

“There will be a new set of national measures from today, which will follow up all the hard work and sacrifices which have been made during the firebreak.

“We cannot go back to the way we were living our lives and throw away that hard work.”

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