PLAID Cymru Leader Adam Price has called on the Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock to consider ‘aggressive and radical forms of social distancing’ to flatten the Coronavirus curve after a meeting today in the Senedd.
Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price and Shadow Health Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth AM met with UK Government Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock and Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart in Cardiff to discuss concerns arising from the UK Government’s response to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Speaking after the meeting, Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price said he had been glad of the opportunity to ‘raise concerns’ on the response to the Coronavirus outbreak with the Secretary of State.
Mr Price said he had pushed the Secretary to consider ‘aggressive and radical forms’ of social distancing ‘to flatten the curve’ and stressed the need for governments to provide the public with ‘further advice’ on attending family gatherings.
After raising concerns on government transparency, the Secretary of State was able to confirm with Mr Price that further scientific evidence behind the UK Government’s approach would be published in due course and would be ‘peer reviewed’.
The Plaid Cymru Leader also welcomed the announcement that the postponing of the Six Nations match scheduled to take place tomorrow in Cardiff but said that leaving decisions regarding mass gatherings to individual organisations was ‘not sustainable’ and said instead governments should take ‘the lead’ in light of public concerns.
Mr Price added that “the health and well-being of our citizens” – especially the “most vulnerable”, should come before everything else.
The WRU announced it had postponed the Six Nations match between Wales and Scotland earlier today.
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said,
“I was glad of the opportunity to raise concerns regarding the response to the Coronavirus outbreak with the Secretary of State for Health.
“I pushed him to consider aggressive and radical forms of social distancing to flatten the curve and the need for governments to provide the public with further advice on attending family events such as weddings and funerals as is currently happening in the Republic of Ireland.
“He was able to confirm with me that the UK Government would be publishing the scientific evidence behind their approach and that this would be peer reviewed.
“Postponing the Six Nations match tomorrow was the right decision however it is evident that leaving decisions regarding mass gatherings to individual organisations is not sustainable. We need governments to urgently take the lead in light of public concerns.
“The health and well-being of our citizens, particularly the most vulnerable and at risk of the Coronavirus, must come before everything else.
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