UK Covid-19 death figures

[Harry Paget Flashman]

Most of the key things related to control of infectious diseases are covered in the Public Health Act 1984, covering England and Wales
The powers are very wide ranging indeed, and I would guess includes the equivalent of what we call lockdown, although I haven’t read the detail of this very large act

It doesn't have the range of powers enabled by the The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Commencement No. 1) (Wales) Regulations 2020.

So Wales could not lockdown until Westminster decided.

[lisvaneblue]

It doesn't have the range of powers enabled by the The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Commencement No. 1) (Wales) Regulations 2020.

So Wales could not lockdown until Westminster decided.

My original comments stemmed from the fact that people disagreed with my comments that the Senedd is solely responsible for healthcare in Wales, therefore don't blame UK gov for the mess we are in in Wales with very high incidence, general lack of testing, variable tracking, escalating variances with other home nations etc

The 2020 Covid Act is a temporary UK wide act that sorts out some of the nitty gritty around the handling of the pandemic in the UK.

The main Act in Wales and England for control of infectious diseases is the Public Health Act 1984. It has wide ranging powers that the Senedd could have acted upon way ahead of the March lockdown. For example control of travel, airports and ports, control of schools, and just about anything else needed to halt the spread of an infectious disease.

What we did in Wales was go along with a UK wide uniform approach that initially was one of 'herd immunity', then, and some say too late, the lockdown
I understand that going it alone with a lockdown may not have been that effective,( although we seem to be doing just that now compared to our near neighbours), and the issue of finance must have influenced things.

But there was plenty we could have done under the 1984 act without closing down industry but we didn't. Right or wrong is not what Im directly concerned about. My message all along has been that Healthcare is a devolved matter and the Senedd is solely responsible for its actions. The other home countries Im sure discuss and influence our Welsh healthcare politicians and professional advisors, but the responsibility and consequences for actions rest with the Senedd