You are viewing 1 of your 1 free articles
Wales moves back to emergency repairs only under ‘fire-break lockdown’ rules
The Welsh government has banned non-urgent repairs and maintenance work in people’s homes under new lockdown measures to stem the increase in coronavirus cases across the country.
Under new guidance published today, the Welsh government has said that from Friday, work carried out inside people’s homes can take place only if it is urgent or to repair a fault that poses a direct risk to a person’s safety.
The restrictions are being brought in under what the Welsh government is calling ‘fire-break’ rules, aimed at “slowing down the virus to buy the country more time”. They will begin on Friday and end on 9 November.
The new guidelines will have a major impact on Welsh social landlords, which will have been forced to switch to emergency repairs under the first lockdown in March. Under the lockdown, which lasted nearly two months, many associations in England and Wales built up a large backlog of non-emergency routine repairs.
READ MORE
Inside Housing reported on HouseMark research in June which stated that the majority of social housing providers would only return to a full routine repairs service in August.
The guidance today says that work can still be carried out in empty homes. If a repairs worker is in the middle of a maintenance job, the advice is to make the property safe for tenants, collect tools and not return during the two-week lockdown period.
For those where attendance is unavoidable, because of an emergency repair situation, additional precautions should be taken to keep workers and residents completely separate.
Under the new rules, homelessness, housing or support services can be delivered face-to-face but support providers must ensure that all measures are taken to limit the risk of spreading the virus.
The move for the ‘firebreak lockdown’ comes as the number of COVID-19 cases in Wales stands at 1,340 per 100,000 people, and increased fears about the Welsh NHS’ ability to cope.
Alongside the guidance around repairs and maintenance, there are also a number of other stringent restrictions being put in place to help limit the spread. These include people staying at home apart from to exercise or collect essentials, bars and restaurants remaining closed, and secondary schools being closed for an additional week after half-term.
People who break the rules could face a £60 or £120 fine, or criminal charges.
Wales is the second UK nation to decide to go into a full circuit-breaker lockdown, with Northern Ireland taking the decision to put in place a four-week lockdown last week.
England has so far opted for regional lockdowns on a tiered system.
Last week, the Scottish government implemented tougher restrictions, with restaurants and bars all having to close by 10pm and a limit on the number of people who can meet in these surroundings.
