Wales might need further firebreak lockdown in new year, minister admits
Another circuit breaker lockdown may have to be introduced in the new year, the Welsh government has said.
Ken Skates, the economy minister, said the hope was that a temporary lockdown starting on Friday would bring the R number down to 0.8. He said:
That would, in itself, buy us enough time, give us the headroom, to get through to Christmas and the new year.
But we could not rule out the possibility of another firebreak if transmission rates increase dramatically over the Christmas period.
Skates also said a new national set of restrictions will be introduced in Wales once this two-week circuit breaker is over. At the moment parts of Wales with high Covid levels are in local lockdown while others have more freedom. Skates said a new national scheme would be brought in at the end of the temporary lockdown.
Turning back to Scottish independence for a moment (see 12.16pm), the leading psephologist Prof Sir John Curtice has written a blog about the latest polling on this topic which is invaluable for anyone following this issue closely. It’s here, on the What Scotland Thinks website.
Here are some of his main points.
- Curtice says nine polls in a row have put Yes ahead which is “a wholly unprecedented picture” – even if it is too early yet to know whether the Ipsos MORI poll putting support for independence at 58% (a record high) was evidence of a trend and not just an outlier.
- He says that whereas in 2014 men were much more likely to favour independence than women, that gender gap has disappeared, and now women are just as enthusiastic.
- He says that polls now suggest people in their teens or 20s are strongly in favour of independence, in a way they weren’t six years ago. He says:
On average, polls conducted since June have put support for independence among those aged 16-24 as high as 79% – compared with 56% among those aged 35-44 and just 33% among the over 65s. Most of those in the pollsters’ youngest age group of under 25s were too young to vote six years ago – and if those who enter the electorate anew continue to support Yes so heavily in future years then, other things being equal, it will with every passing year become gradually more difficult for No to win any second referendum ballot.
- He says people who do not have a firm view about independence – roughly a quarter of voters – are particularly likely to be pro-EU, and particularly likely to see how Brexit evolves before making up their minds on independence.
- He says even among those who voted Yes in 2014 only 30% think an independent Scotland should keep the pound in the short term before launching a separate currency – despite this being the SNP’s policy.
Welsh support package for business most generous in UK, Welsh government claims
The Welsh government has insisted that its short, sharp circuit breaker will give businesses the best chance of a buoyant Christmas and suggested that England could be heading for a longer lockdown if its tier system does not work.
Welsh economy minister Ken Skates also said that it had managed to bring the support of the country’s businesses, local authorities and trade unions along with it, rather than becoming embroiled in the sort of stand-off the UK government faces with Manchester.
Skates said £300m would be made available to help businesses through the firebreak – the most generous package in the UK, he claimed.
The minister said this amounted to £100 per person in Wales and contrasted this with the £8 per head for local authorities heading into tier three in England. Skates said:
Elsewhere restrictions are being imposed for four weeks, for six weeks and potentially longer. If the tier system in England doesn’t operate correctly they may have to revisit that entire scheme – who knows how long businesses may be affected? Here in Wales we are taking the responsible course of action, which is a short, sharp firebreak.
We haven’t had a 10-day stand-off with any part of Wales. We have brought businesses, local authorities, trade unions with us.
Updated
NHS England has today announced £15m for the “rapid assessment and treatment” of staff with mental health problems this winter, in recognition of the toll exacted on them by battling the coronavirus pandemic.
Revealing the investment, while giving evidence to the Commons health committee, Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national director for mental health, said priority would be given to Covid hotspots such as Merseyside and Lancashire. She said:
We’ll be looking at those high pressured hotspot areas first to make sure that, in a sense, although this rollout will be rapid, we’ll start where we think it’s needed most.
In addition, we will be setting up a highly specialist national service for a small number of staff, who perhaps have very complex trauma, perhaps some of my critical care colleagues.
Responding to the announcement, Dame Donna Kinnair, the Royal College of Nursing chief executive and general secretary, said:
We welcome this further support that recognises what healthcare staff have had to put up with, and hope this is the only the start of a sustained focus on the wellbeing of nursing staff. Many of the factors that worsen the wellbeing of the workforce existed before Covid-19 such as unhealthy working patterns and a severe shortage of staff.
Updated
Scottish government to provide more funding for meals for children over school holidays
Scottish councils are being given another £10m to provide free meals over the holidays to children eligible for free school meals, after pressure from Scottish Labour and calls from campaigners including the footballer Marcus Rashford.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Scottish social security secretary, said the money would allow the country’s 32 councils to continue offering free meal vouchers, cash sums or food parcels over the Christmas, February and Easter holidays.
It would also reimburse those councils which provided free meals during the October holidays, and would help around 156,000 children, she said.
The previous scheme, introduced earlier this year, was criticised by anti-poverty campaigners because of significant differences in the way councils provide the meals. Some gave out vouchers for specific stores, others provided cash cards or meal packs, while the sums provided varied across the country.
Councils would also be given another £18m to help councils tackle financial crises for the worst off, to meet housing, fuel and food costs, through the Scottish welfare fund set by the Scottish government.
Last week Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour leader, had urged the Scottish government to reinstate the free meals funding, which had lapsed after the summer holidays, echoing similar calls from Rashford.
“There is no time for reviews or prevarication. Hard pressed and poverty-stricken families need this support over free school holiday meals now,” he told the Daily Record.
Welsh government criticises Sunak for refusing to let Cardiff fund early start of job scheme in Wales
Boris Johnson to hold press conference this afternoon, following talks with Burnham about Greater Manchester
Updated
Covid hospital numbers in Scotland up by almost 10% in 24 hours, Sturgeon confirms
Another 15 people have died in Scottish hospitals after contracting Covid-19, with the numbers in hospital with positive tests increasing by 70 to 824 during the last 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.
Yesterday the figure for coronavirus patients in hospital was 754, so the numbers have risen almost 10% in 24 hours, the figures show.
The first minister also said 1,456 new cases had been reported overnight, including results from some tests delayed over the weekend, with the total number of positive tests reaching 11.4%. The number of people in intensive care also increased by eight, up to 69.
These figures are amongst the highest reported since late May and Sturgeon urged people to immediately seek Covid tests as soon as they showed suspicious symptoms, and not to delay for a day or two to see whether those symptoms continued.
