{"id":8131,"date":"2020-04-20T15:02:33","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T13:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/?p=8131"},"modified":"2020-04-20T15:02:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T13:02:33","slug":"lockdown-should-be-extended-and-ve-day-celebrations-should-be-called-off-to-save-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceidiog.com\/pr\/news\/lockdown-should-be-extended-and-ve-day-celebrations-should-be-called-off-to-save-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown should be extended and VE Day celebrations should be called off to save lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

A police chief is calling for celebrations to mark the 75th<\/sup> anniversary of VE Day to be postponed and for the new three-week lockdown be extended for at least another week.<\/p>\n

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones and the three other Welsh commissioners have already raised the matter with the Welsh Government and will be seeking the support of the policing minister, Kit Malthouse MP, when they have a conference call with him on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Mr Jones says it\u2019s essential to send out a clear message about the importance of staying home to avoid causing a second wave of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cWe have called on the Welsh Government to extend the lockdown for at least a week beyond the bank holiday on May 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we relax the restrictions ahead of the bank holiday weekend, everybody is going to want to get out.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s vitally important to send out a clear message that it\u2019s imperative that people stay at home for the time being.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must send out the same message as the one we sent out ahead of the Easter weekend and we must be just as robust in our enforcement of the lockdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are risks and deadly consequences if people do not respect the lockdown and don\u2019t stay put<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t relax the restrictions in certain areas and not in others. The lockdown should remain as a UK wide policy otherwise people will travel into areas where things have been relaxed, causing mayhem and leading to a second wave of Covid-19 infections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe three-week extension to the lockdown should go on for at least another week beyond the bank holiday on May 8.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s natural that people would want to get out and to celebrate the 75th<\/sup> anniversary of VE Day but staying at home and saving lives is far more important.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government should make it clear that the planned celebrations on May 8 are being postponed until it is safe for them to be held at a later date.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite rightly, other events like agricultural shows, the National and Urdd eisteddfods along with sporting fixtures have all been postponed or cancelled this year and we really should not be sending out mixed messages.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs police and crime commissioners, we will be raising this with the policing minister, Kit Malthouse, next Thursday in our weekly conference call.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was a sentiment endorsed by Dafydd Llywelyn, his counterpart in Dyfed-Powys, who stressed the importance of extending the lockdown further to safeguard against the spread of Covid-19.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cThe extension is welcomed and social distancing should remain over the VE Day Bank Holiday in May to safeguard against further spread of COVID-19\u201d.<\/p>\n

Both commissioners welcomed the decision of the National Police Chiefs\u2019 Council (NPCC) and the professional standards body, the College of Policing<\/a>, to withdraw their controversial guidance which described driving to the countryside for a walk as reasonable if far more time was spent walking than driving.<\/p>\n

Mr Llywelyn added: \u201cThe England only guidance issued by the College of Policing has confused matters and the public should understand that there are no changes to the travel rules in Wales and traveling for daily exercise is not essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelsh Forces will continue to proactively enforce the lockdown and exercise should be carried out close to your home address\u201d.<\/p>\n

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