Stricter measures than ever before. Wales to restrict what supermarkets can sell.

[safariboot]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-54648194

We didn't have that in the "first wave". Despite some confusion, it was perfectly OK for essential shops to also sell non-essentials, and for customers to purchase them on the same visit as doing essential shopping. Now, in Wales, it's not OK, the stated reason being "fairness" to small businesses.

I think this could be a first sign of things to come. I fully expect measures at least as strict as, and possibly stricter than, what we saw in March. And I expect local to become regional to become national. Because anything less just isn't keeping Covid-19 under control.

@Jellykat Surely the Nightingale Hospitals should be being used in areas where there are a lot of cases.

Do you have any evidence that covid is spread through shopping? Shutting shops or parts of shops is causing unecessary economic damage, precipitating the decline of high streets and will not save lives but mean more people will lose their livliehoods meaning in turn that there will be less money for the NHS.

I don’t think anyone is bemoaning not being able to buy a new Dyson... Other things are essentials.

Some people only have a microwave to cook with - if it breaks, they now can’t replace without waiting for delivery. Maybe a kettle isn’t essential to all - it will be for a new Mum bottle feeding her baby.

Other more innocuous items can cause trouble too. I know I’ve ended up in Tesco buying a duvet urgently due to a child throwing up over the one we had and not owning a spare....

@Jellykat

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4059125-pressure-on-frontline-nhs-staff?pg=1

but hey, lets focus on the fact we can't buy a new Dyson at the moment eh?

Careful Jelly, you're going to be accused of being a Dementor or a Covid Fan Girl or something.

This thread has taken a really nasty turn.

I am in Wales and had a look at my local FB page. The attitudes there are very different to this thread. Most people think it's alll a bit of a pain, but aren't getting over wrought about it.

@JillGoodacre

We had this from March till about June/July here in Kuwait. Only shops that were open were shops that sells food and b&q type stores. Could only order online and that was taking an age to come. My kids outgrew all their clothes, shoes and underwear. We managed. It's not the end of the world. We still can't try clothes on in shops as fitting rooms are still closed.

Whether or not something is legal does not depend on whether people can survive the law. Of course people can live with this, but that shouldn’t be how Covid rules are determined. They should be determined based on how reasonable they are, and what effect they will actually have. This rule is an overreach, with no evidence it will achieve the aim of reducing Covid, or be fairer on other businesses.

The Welsh government doesn't even want click & collect services to offer 'non essential' items

Forcing people who need things urgently to pay delivery fees then. How very fair on everyone.

Couldn't agree with you more bibbitybobbity

I'm in Wales too, i don't know a single person who is bitching about not being able to buy things or any of this like those on this thread.
Everyone is willing to try anything to see if it levels things out and protects our communities.

I've lost all of my income for the next 17 days, cleaning holiday lets and working in non essential retail, and i live in a rural area where most surrounding villages have a high proportion of elderly residents..
so what the fuck do i know aye?

I'm in Wales too, i don't know a single person who is bitching about not being able to buy things or any of this like those on this thread.
Everyone is willing to try anything to see if it levels things out and protects our communities.

Yes, all those people posting on the Welsh Government's FB are positively thrilled.

petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/244282

22,780 and counting = people signing the petition against this insanity

I know plenty of people who agree with lockdown but think that not being able to buy things that supermarkets already have on the shelves is bloody ridiculous.

I am also with bibbity Bobbitty and Jellykat I'm with you. Noone local to me is making out it's such a big deal like on Mumsnet. I'm sure some customers will winge about it when I'm back in work next week but.. thats nothing new lol.

It seems that there are even more sheep in Wales than we knew.

Not that there's exactly a shortage of them here in Scotland.

Everyone is willing to try anything to see if it levels things out and protects our communities.

They're willing to try anything?

Really?

Wouldn't it be an obvious choice to shut schools and unis indefinitely then? Seems a better way of limiting spread than covering birthday cards in plastic film lest people 'linger' too long.

Having looked at the Welsh figures, apart from a few areas in the south of the country Cardiff, Merthyr and areas nearby there is whole swathes of the country with infection rates lower than a lot of places that are in Tier 1
Why did they shut down the whole country and not just the area

There are lots things that fall between ‘essentials’ and ‘frivolous luxuries’.

A few weeks ago I actually bought a new kettle after our old one packed up. Could I live without for a day? Yes, of course. But I would be annoyed if in 21st century Britain I had to wait two and a bit weeks if I needed to buy another one.

@AllPlayedOut

*I'm in Wales too, i don't know a single person who is bitching about not being able to buy things or any of this like those on this thread. Everyone is willing to try anything to see if it levels things out and protects our communities.*

Yes, all those people posting on the Welsh Government's FB are positively thrilled.

There are over three million people in Wales, all of us will have different opinions (even the sheep).

Anything? I think that we should try sacrificing a child to appease the gods. We don't know that it'll work but it might. It's just one child after all.

Is there any evidence that 'lingering' is increased for arbitrarily defined 'non-essential items'?

No, no such evidence has been provided, indeed it's not even the reason that has actually been given for the restrictions, it is an entirely invented reason from people who have no involvement in the decision.

Even if it was, you'd need to demonstrate how the alternatives - home delivery, borrowing from neighbours etc. didn't have a larger impact. Given R went to way below 1 without the restriction across the whole of the UK, I think there's very strong evidence that the restriction is not required from an infection control case.

That is not the justification, the justification is "fairness" ie if Tesco sell their value tin opener, it will be unfair on Lakeland who had to be closed so missed out on the chance of selling twenty quid one.

There are over three million people in Wales, all of us will have different opinions (even the sheep).

Yes, that's rather the point. We have people saying that everyone is quite content with the restrictions but that's clearly not true.

@ Oliversmumsarmy because that's where a lot of the population like. those swathes of cereigion, Powys, Pembrokeshire, most of Gwynedd etc arent where most of the people live(although I do). The areas that were under lockdown before were about 3 quarters of the Welsh population

@FrankenNora

22,780 and counting = people signing the petition against this insanity

There are over three million of us, of course there will be a range of opinions.

It will help people using the supermarket as a day out and will reduce the time people spend in a supermarket. Alcohol isn’t essential though, that’s bizarre.

Cracking up here, i'm reading you can still pop to your local newsagents for coloured pencils and cards.. next..

Because Oliversmumsarmy it's so difficult to stop people from nearby higher tier counties going to lower?.. easier to police the border for the whole area, to stop cases like we saw a few weeks ago, where a coachload of people from Bolton ended up in Tenby.

You obviously didn't grow up in the 60s and 70s then Alec, they sell kettles online you know if you're desperate.

@Oliversmumsarmy

Partly because we have a much smaller ratio of hospital beds compared to England