Lack of lockdown media coverage for regions leading to "utter confusion"
18 May 2020, 13:57 | Updated: 18 May 2020, 14:00
Caller in Wales tells James that people have no idea what the advice is because there is no coverage
A caller in Wales told LBC that the lack of coverage for lockdown strategies of countries within the UK is creating a confusing situation.
"I don't think anybody here really understands what the rules are" Simon told James O'Brien. He was calling from Wales, just minutes from the English border and he was explaining how uncertainty around differing lockdown rules between countries has led to mass confusion in Wales.
"That's your fault for not having enough common sense" James joked, referencing calls for people in the UK to use their common sense when going about their lives during the lockdown ease. "My Prime Minister doesn't explain which bits are meant for England only and which bits are meant for the whole of the UK" Simon stated, highlighting the confusion people are feeling in Wales.
Simon told James that he's been tuning into the coronavirus briefings and, referencing Sunday's conference he pointed out "at no point did the minister say which points applied just to England, it's just utter confusion."
The caller from Newport told listeners an instance of a friend of his who was planning to meet his father in a park as per Boris Johnson's advice until his wife found out Welsh rules don't allow it. Points like this are where Simon could see flaws in how the information is given to people.
"You'll have trouble finding anybody who knows where the uk government starts and the Welsh assembly takes over" the defeated caller stated.
The Welsh caller went further to compare the Welsh traffic light system and the general five tier system provided by the government and insisted the differences lead to just more confusion. "Nobody in Wales really knows it exists" he said, adding that "Welsh media isn't as strong as it is in Scotland" and this could be a reason for uncertainty there.
Simon explained that he's been trying to cover all angles of the UK coronavirus response in particular any information on the Welsh plans. "I could tell you all about the tube in London but i couldn't tell you what was happening in Wales" he admitted, even though he watches and listens to a range of media platforms.
He repeated that "nobody really knows who is responsible for what" in his area and he blames the government for not explaining or even acknowledging that there may be different rules shared by each administration.
Simon told James that Boris Johnson needs to start differentiating between the English response and the response of the devolved administrations.
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