Welsh First Minister says Christmas plan to relax Covid rules will increase infections
24 November 2020, 21:05
Welsh First Minister says Christmas plan to relax Covid rules will increase infections
First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has told LBC that coronavirus restrictions being eased for five days over Christmas means the virus "will spread more".
His words come after he reached a four-nation deal with other UK leaders to allow for the current tough measures to be relaxed and give families time to see each other after a difficult year.
LBC's Eddie Mair asked Wales' First Minister about the relaxation of the rules allowing for the absence of social distancing between households allowed to meet over the five-day period.
Mr Drakeford responded: "You're right I think if what you're implying Eddie is that that will mean that coronavirus will spread more because coronavirus thrives when there's human contact.
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"But the decision in a way was not a choice between asking people to stick with the current restrictions or to have a slightly more liberal regime.
"Because if you'd asked people to stick with the current restrictions, the risk was that people wouldn't find that acceptable, wouldn't be willing to do it and would behave in ways that they made up for themselves.
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"So this is an attempt to provide a path to Christmas, give people some more freedom over it, but to do it in a controlled way."
The' First Minister of Wales went on to suggest people should approach the relaxed rules in a "spirit of wanting to use them sensibly".
