Traffic light-style roadmap to bring Wales out of lockdown published
A traffic light-style system has been published by the Welsh Government to give details on how Wales will be eased out of lockdown in the coming weeks.
The roadmap, called Unlocking our society and economy: continuing the conversation, is described as a "cautious, coherent approach" which puts "the health of the public first" as the First Minister stressed "normal life will not be possible for many months – possibly years."
Mr Drakeford said it is "essential" as lockdown is eased that people recognise it is "not a short-term crisis." Until there is a vaccine or effective treatments, we will have to live with the disease in our society and to try to control its spread and mitigate its effects."
"The world we are moving towards is not the pre-COVID world. We must adapt to a future with the virus in it", he added.
Under current lockdown rules, people in Wales have to stay at home and maintain contact only within households, with limited exceptions.
The traffic light approach is based on four stages to determine how those rules could be lifted - lockdown, red, amber and green - and includes the reopening of schools, seeing family and friends, playing sports and running businesses.
There are no dates in the 20-page document, as changes can be only made when the scientific and medical advice says it is "safe to do so", Mr Drakeford said.
The document gives some detail to how life would look under each category:
Lockdown – Schools are only open to vulnerable pupils’ children and children of key workers, people are advised to stay at home, only leaving home for essential travel and to work from home if possible.
Red – Schools enabled to manage increase in demand from more key workers and vulnerable pupils returning; local travel, including for click-and-collect retail allowed; people allowed to provide or receive care and support to/from one family member or friend from outside the household
Amber – Priority groups of pupils to return to school in a phased approach; travel for leisure allowed together with meeting with small groups of family or friends for exercise; people able to access non-essential retail and services; more people travelling to work;
Green – All children and students able to access education; Unrestricted travel subject to ongoing precautions; All sports, leisure and cultural activities, as well as socialising with friends permitted, with physical distancing
Mr Drakeford said it is progressing "carefully and slowly" since making minor changes to lockdown restrictions in Wales.
The First Minister stressed that the government is monitoring the "R rate" to decide what can be lifted and when.
"Anything we do to ease the formal restrictions, or simply to change our behaviours by increasing contacts with other people, will increase the R rate", he said.
"And small increases in the rate can lead to very large changes in the number of new infections and new deaths. So at any time, unless the R rate falls further, we will have limited ‘headroom’ to make changes: we will need to make choices."
He warned that physical distancing and better hygiene practices would need to be in place for "the foreseeable future" to reduce the risk of exposure.
The First Minister said the Welsh Government's priority in moving towards a more open Wales will be to focus "on the most vulnerable in our society".
This would include children who might be more adversely affected by missing out on schooling.
A separate document has been published which gives more detail about schooling in Wales. Education Minister Kirsty Williams has previously ruled out allowing opening schools to more than the children of key workers on or soon after June 1st.
In it, Ms Williams said, "Nothing would make me happier than seeing our classrooms full again", but she did not set a date for the reopening of schools.
"Setting a date before we have more evidence, more confidence and more control over the virus would be the wrong thing to do, she said.
Five key principles, which the education minister set out in April, which will contribute towards the decision, includes the physical and mental wellbeing of students and staff.