Covid inquiry: Local lockdowns failed, said Drakeford

covid-inquiry:-local-lockdowns-failed,-said-drakeford
Covid inquiry: Local lockdowns failed, said Drakeford

The use of local lockdowns during the autumn of 2020 was a “failed experiment”, according to First Minister Mark Drakeford, who testified at the Covid inquiry. Certain cities such as Bangor and Llanelli, along with council areas, were subjected to restrictions as officials struggled to manage rising case numbers. Dr Rob Orford, the chief scientific adviser for Wales, admitted that these measures made the situation more “complicated” and said that in hindsight, they were not the best idea. Sir Frank Atherton, chief medical officer for Wales, called the dearth of information about different UK restrictions an “omnishambles”, implying a situation that was shambolic from every possible angle.

Though case rates initially fell in Caerphilly after the first local lockdown in September 2020, they increased again before the firebreak lockdown of late October. The Covid inquiry heard an account of the first Welsh government cabinet meeting where Covid was discussed in February 2020. Vaughan Gething, who was health minister at the time admitted that there had been no imported Covid cases in the UK when there were nine positive cases by 18 February. However, Mr Gething’s remarks were disputed by a Welsh government source, stating that the document incorrectly accounts for his words.

Sir Frank Atherton claimed that there was “no safer alternative” than discharging hospital patients with Covid symptoms into care homes without requiring a test. He argued this point even though he acknowledged that elderly patients could have been asymptomatic in the hospital, potentially becoming infected while being there. Meanwhile, Dame Shan Morgan, who was the top civil servant in Wales for the majority of the pandemic, admitted to deleting “some” early WhatsApp messages about Covid as she attempted to tidy up her phone.

The inquiry will continue hearing from witnesses on Tuesday, with Welsh health officials Andrew Goodall and Tracey Cooper scheduled to testify

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