Alyn and Deeside MP – “Disappointed that it has been necessary to place Flintshire into a local lockdown”

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami has said he sincerely hoped Flintshire would not be placed under a local lockdown and knows it will be a “significant blow to families.”

Earlier this evening Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced new coronavirus restrictions are being introduced in four local authority areas in North Wales – Denbighshire, Flintshire, Conwy and Wrexham – following a rise in cases, Health Minister Vaughan Gething today announced.

The new measures will come into force at 6pm on Thursday 1 October, to protect people’s health and control the spread of the virus in the four areas.

The new restrictions will apply to everyone living in Denbighshire, Flintshire, Conwy and Wrexham.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething announcing earlier new coronavirus restrictions are being introduced in Flintshire, Wrexham, Denbighshire and Conwy

The new measures will come into force at 6pm on Thursday 1 October https://t.co/nNMloZIJyb pic.twitter.com/cHtja4L7uL

— DEESIDE.com (@DeesideDotCom) September 29, 2020

Mark Tami MP said: “I am disappointed that it has been necessary to place Flintshire into a local lockdown. I had sincerely hoped that this would not happen and I know that this will be a significant blow to families and small businesses in our area.

The number of cases in Flintshire has been increasing quickly in the last fortnight which has been a cause of concern.

Whilst nobody wants a local lockdown, it’s clear that it’s necessary to save lives in Alyn and Deeside. This is and must remain our primary aim.

It is now vital that everyone takes the measures announced by the Welsh Government seriously, and sticks to both the letter and the spirit of them.

We all want to get out of local lockdown as quickly as possible, and to do that we all need to play our part.

The more compliance with the regulations, the faster the case numbers come down, and the quicker this ends.

“I will be speaking to the health board, the Welsh Government and the UK Government to ensure that people needing healthcare are able to access it without delay, that there is support for local
businesses affected by this change and that clear guidance is available to people who have been shielding.”

Flintshire Council Chief Executive said there needs to be an important distinction between the new measures being brought in across large parts of Wales and the previous UK wide lockdown.

Speaking yesterday Colin Everett said: “It’s quite important we use that term ”Health Protection Zones” rather than “Lockdown” which is a “free and easy” term.

A Health Protection Zone “is not like the lockdown we knew a few months ago and this is where one of the confusions comes from.”

A Health Protection Zone “curtails travel outside of the county for non-essential reasons unless there is reasonable excuses called purposes” the Health Protection Zone also “prevents social gatherings indoors in private places like housing.”

“Other than that, the economy and towns still function in a way they didn’t under the previous lockdown.”

The Welsh Government is still happy to call the news measures a “Lockdown” they have published this evening a Frequently Asked Question document for Flintshire titled:

“Flintshire County Council lockdown: frequently asked questions” which goes some way to answer the many questions being posted on social media about the new measures. You can read the document here: https://gov.wales/flintshire-county-council-lockdown-frequently-asked-questions

Darren Millar MS said this evenings news is “devastating” the Conservative representative for Clwyd West, said: “We were warned last week that Conwy and Denbighshire were being closely monitored, but had all hoped that cases would not rise further and we could avoid further restrictions.

This evening’s news will come as a devastating blow to residents and businesses in all those areas affected and I know that many will question whether such measures are entirely necessary.

The Welsh Government therefore needs to be fully transparent and outline to all residents of Denbighshire, Conwy, Flintshire and Wrexham why such restrictions in these areas are needed, including sharing community by community data so that we can see whether the measures are proportionate.

Local businesses will also need extra support, especially those in the tourism and hospitality industry.

 Firms were hit for hit for six by the lockdown earlier in the year and are only just beginning to recover, it is essential that they get the support they need.

 I urge people to follow the rules to help keep the number of cases down so that these restrictions can be lifted as soon as possible.”