London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

Welsh government ends firebreak lockdown, even as Covid pandemic cause of concern in many areas

Welsh government ends firebreak lockdown, even as Covid pandemic cause of concern in many areas

A 17-day firebreak lockdown has come to an end in Wales despite some of the highest regional infection rates in the UK and calls for an extension of restrictions.
On Monday, Wales’s 17-day lockdown came to an end and a new set of national measures came into effect.

The decision not to extend the lockdown has come under considerable criticism, because Covid rates in some parts of Wales are the highest in the country.

Dr Giri Shankar of Public Health Wales told Sky News, “We’ve always recognized that it’s a balancing act of trying to control the Covid harm versus the non-Covid harms.”

Shankar stressed that people must respect social distancing as the new measures – which sees pubs, gyms, hairdressers, and other non-essential businesses reopen – come into place.

The loosening of restrictions also means people can travel around Wales, including moving from high-risk areas to low-risk areas.

Covid infections remain very high in the South Wales valleys. Early last week, infection rates in Merthyr Tydfil were the highest in the country, at 741 cases per 100,000 people. This has subsequently dropped to 639.9 per 100,000.

Paul Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly, said, “I just don’t understand why the Welsh government won’t outline what action they’re going to take to ensure that the number of Covid cases in Merthyr Tydfil – which is the highest number per 100,000 in the UK – doesn’t get any worse.”

Overall infection rates in Wales remain higher than England, with 272.8 cases per 100,000 in the past seven days in Wales compared to 243.2 cases per 100,000 in England.

During the two-and-a-half-week firebreak period, people were not allowed to meet with anyone they didn’t live with, non-essential businesses were closed, and the school half-term holiday was extended.

The four nations of the UK have taken different approaches to tackling the second wave of the coronavirus. The end of the lockdown in Wales comes as England starts the fifth day of a four-week Covid lockdown.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
A 92-year-old woman, who felt she doesn't belong in a nursing home, escaped the death-camp by climbing a gate nearly 8 ft tall
French Journalist Acquitted in Controversial Case Involving Brigitte Macron
Elon Musk’s xAI Targets $200 Billion Valuation in New Fundraising Round
Kraft Heinz Considers Splitting Off Grocery Division Amid Strategic Review
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
EU Proposes New Tax on Large Companies to Boost Budget
Trump Imposes 35% Tariffs on Canadian Imports Amid Trade Tensions
Junior Doctors in the UK Prepare for Five-Day Strike Over Pay Disputes
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Biden’s Doctor Pleads the Fifth to Avoid Self-Incrimination on President’s Medical Fitness
Grok Chatbot Faces International Backlash for Antisemitic Content
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
×