Health Minister to meet with retailers over non-essential items ban confusion after defending measures

A meeting with Welsh Government ministers with retailers is to take place today after new guidance over the sale of non-essential items caused confusion over the weekend.

The measures were brought in for the the two-week firebreak lockdown, which has been in place since Friday evening.

Guidance issued by Welsh Government to retailers that can stay open, includes the sale of products which would normally be sold in:

• food and drink retailers (including off licences)
• newsagents
• building supplies and hardware stores
• pharmacies and chemists
• bicycle shops
• petrol stations
• garages and vehicle hire businesses
• post offices, banks, building societies and similar
• pet shops
• agricultural and aqua-cultural supplies shops; and
• livestock markets and auctions

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) had raised concerns about the closure of all non-essential retail, stating that it would create an unfair advantage if supermarkets were able to continue selling non-essential items through the firebreak lockdown.

The FSB said that at a time when small businesses on the high street are forced to close, it would be an “unacceptable advantage” for supermarkets particularly in the run-up to Christmas.

Conservative Shadow Minister for the Economy MS Russell George raised the matter of supermarkets selling clothing and hardware during the previous lockdown and said it felt ‘very wrong.’

But move has brought fierce criticism from both opposition politicians and the public alike, with an online petition against it has passed 60,000 signatures.

Since Friday there have been images circulating online of aisles selling clothing, books, cleaning products, electrical goods and magazines either closed off or covered in plastic.

Today brought fresh confusion after Tesco wrongly told a shopper they couldn’t sell sanitary pads in Wales.

Shopper ‘Katie’ tweeted Tesco saying: “Can you explain why I was told today that I can’t buy PERIOD PADS as I’m sure they are essential to women ?!!! But I can buy alcohol it doesn’t make sense.”

In response, Tesco said: “Hi Katie. We understand how frustrating these changes will be for our Welsh customers. However, we have been told by the Welsh Government not to sell these items for the duration of the firebreak lockdown.”

Tesco later issued an update to Katie saying: “Good Morning Katie – thanks for getting in touch and please accept my apologies for the confusion caused by my colleagues’ earlier reply.

“This is a response we’re using when challenged on products that we have been asked to restrict by the Welsh Government.”

“However, clearly sanitary products are an essential purchase and I’m so sorry to see that one of our stores has them restricted at the moment. Can you please DM us to let me know when you were in store and which store this was, so I can look in to this further.”

Latest Tesco altered that response, stating: “Due to a break-in, this area was closed temporarily in one store for a Police investigation, but is now open again.”

The Welsh Government also moved to clarify the guidance, stating: “We’re sorry you’ve had to experience this. This is wrong – period products are essential.”

“Supermarkets can still sell items that can be sold in pharmacies.”

Today’s Welsh Government briefing was dominated by questions over the confusion over the sale of non-essential items, with Health Minister Vaughan Gething confirming a meeting will take place with retailers this afternoon to review the guidance.

He added that there would also be some discretion for those in need of certain items.

Mr Gething said: “We will take action today so that retailers understand that our rules already allowed people in acute need to buy the basics, which are essential to them over the next two weeks.

“But we also ask people to understand the very real crisis that we’re facing at the moment in Wales, and to please treat people working in our shops with the respect that they deserve.

“We’re meeting retailers this afternoon to review the regulations and guidance to make sure that it is being applied fairly and consistently.

“If there are anomalies, we will look at whether the guidance needs to be revised or strengthened to make it clear that supermarkets have some discretion to sell to people who are in genuine need”.

“If we simply end the rules we have on non essential retail, we’ll see more mixing, the stay at home message will be less effective by giving more people more reasons to leave the house.

“If we do that, we simply couldn’t change the rules in supermarkets, because the unfairness that would provide for smaller retailers who are already, and you’ll see this picture in Ireland, where smaller retailers are complaining bitterly about the fact that larger stores are selling items they are prevented from doing so.

“If we effectively see that non-essential retail has opened up again, we’ll have to revisit the public health advice we’ve got about the effectiveness of the fire break.

“I certainly don’t want to be in a position where we have to roll back on the choice we’ve made that the shortest possible intervention to make the maximum difference.

“We looked at a package of measures to keep Wales safe. That was the advice we had. That was the advice that we’ve published. And we’ve acted on that advice.”

Throughout the briefing the Minister seemed quite steadfast in batting issues over the weekend to supermarkets and perhaps one in particular, Tesco.

On Friday the first minister told Wrexham.com that “the supermarket sector is a very mature, a very responsible sector, it will want to do the right thing”.

Today we asked the health minister if a range of retailers in such an apparently competent and willing sector can interpret what he says so incorrectly, surely that points to communication problems at the Welsh Government end rather than the supermarkets.

We also asked why this was not dealt with on Friday evening, rather than waiting for later today for reviews and conversations.

The minister replied: “We have had conversations with supermarkets on Thursday about the categories of areas, there’s been an understanding from the first time around about the categories that exist.”

“As the First Minister said, there were people at that time who thought that other retailers weren’t following the rules in the same way.

“They been very clearly indicating to us that they wouldn’t simply sit back and to see that happen again. Some larger retailers as well as smaller ones, as I said, you see the opposite of this in Ireland, where smaller retailers are very upset about the fact that larger stores are selling non essential items.

“It was both about the fairness of what we’re doing and looking to work with retailers themselves to make sure there is clarity and understanding.

“It also comes back to the point this is part of the package of measures we have in place to reduce contacts as part of our stay at home two week period thats left in the firebreak to help save lives. We can’t forget that clear public health messaging about the reasons we’ve had to intervene in the way that we have.”

You can watch the full briefing and Q&A on the below link:

Live with the Health Minister Vaughan Gething | Yn fyw gyda'r Gweinidog Iechyd Vaughan Gething https://t.co/AQSu7pkiIv

— Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) October 26, 2020