Caerphilly lock-down puts profits before safety

By Dave Reid

The rise in coronavirus cases that has led an announcement of a partial lock-down in Caerphilly county has caused worry and concern for many people in the area.

The Welsh government has imposed the lock-down as the number of confirmed cases of cases of Covid-19 has risen above 50 per 100,000.

Welsh health minister, Vaughn Gething, said “I can’t over-state the seriousness of the situation that we are in.” But he’s demanding that the lock-down is only aimed at people’s private lives – pubs, restaurants, bars and crucially schools remain open. Nobody will be able to enter or leave Caerphilly borough without “a reasonable excuse”, and nobody will be allowed to enter anyone else’s home.

Caerphilly workers are barred from visiting their parents’ house but can travel to work inside and outside the borough as normal. One worker commented “Don’t go to other people’s houses – make sure you only see them when five pints under down the local”.

The spread of the virus though Caerphilly’s schools is a particular concern. Teachers are worried that they are facing hundreds of school students a day as the virus spreads through the community. As one teacher commented “its almost as though they consider us expendable”. At 54 infections recorded per 100,000 people, Caerphilly now has twice the rate of infection of countries that have been put in quarantine, and higher than Glasgow, which has been put back into lockdown.

Campaign group Parents For Safety First had called for Welsh education minister Kirsty Williames to pause in the schools reopening as cases were increasing but the schools are continuing to open to more and more pupils.

Caerphilly council must ensure that council workers are able to provide services safely with PPE provided to all workers who need it and care homes protected.

Socialist Party demands:

• Only priority pupils should attend school in person during the lockdown
• Any schools with confirmed cases should be closed with funding and resources to allow blended teaching to continue
• Routine testing and temperature checking in schools so that infections are identified earlier and comprehensive testing where cases are reported
• Invest in school facilities to allow schools to remain open safely – extra classrooms and employ all supply teachers to allow smaller classes – no more than 15 in each class
• Laptops and broadband access to be made available to all students to allow blended learning