Welsh Conservative Members of the Welsh Parliament will be voting against two of the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations 2020, which are before the Welsh Parliament this evening.
The Regulations, which the Welsh Conservatives will be voting against, relate to the local lockdowns in Cardiff, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan.
However, Welsh Conservatives will be voting in favour of the local lockdown in Llanelli as it is a proportionate and hyper-localised lockdown instead of impacting on the whole of Carmarthenshire.
Commenting on the decision, Welsh Conservative Shadow Health Minister for Health, Social Care and Sport, Andrew RT Davies MS, said:
“We do not take this decision lightly. However, on the basis that the Welsh Government haven’t shared any of the data to justify county-wide restrictions, we have no choice.
“The data is there and has been used, so you have to question why the Minister is not using it, but is hell-bent on shutting down whole counties, which will lead to local economies being even more adversely affected.
“We supported the Health Minister when he introduced a local lockdown in Llanelli, rather than the entirety of Carmarthenshire because this was a targeted, proportionate, and smart approach to protect both lives and livelihoods.
“Until such time that the Welsh Government share community by community data to justify county-wide lockdowns, the Welsh Conservatives in the Welsh Parliament will continue to vote against the regulations.”