Welsh Government Criticised for Christmas 2020 Lockdown

Published: 21 November 2025 Friday. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

The circumstances leading to the Welsh government’s decision to impose a Covid-19 lockdown across Wales during Christmas 2020 were “inexcusable,” according to Baroness Hallett, chair of the UK public inquiry into the pandemic.

In a video statement accompanying the publication of the inquiry’s second report, Hallett criticised Welsh ministers for failing to take “decisive action” against an “entirely foreseeable” Covid variant that prompted the lockdown. She said the government had relaxed restrictions “more quickly than scientists advised,” contributing to the escalation of infections.

Parts of England simultaneously entered lockdown, but Wales recorded the highest age-standardised mortality rate of the four nations between August and December 2020. Hallett attributed this to a combination of failed local restrictions, a delayed firebreak lockdown despite exponential virus growth, and premature relaxation of measures.

First Minister Eluned Morgan said the Welsh government would carefully review the report and its recommendations. “It is important that we remember the immense loss and suffering of so many people due to Covid-19. Today, our thoughts must first and foremost be with them,” she said.

Former First Minister Mark Drakeford defended the government’s handling, asserting that it “acted in the best way that we were able” amid unprecedented challenges.

Baroness Hallett further stated that the failure to act decisively in response to the Alpha variant was repeated from earlier mistakes in February and March 2020. The government had initially planned to relax rules from 23 to 27 December to allow families to celebrate together, but rising infections forced a last-minute reversal on 19 December, limiting gatherings to Christmas Day only.

Drakeford noted that hundreds of people had contracted the “more aggressive” variant of the virus in Wales, a situation mirrored in parts of England under measures introduced by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The inquiry’s report highlights the broader consequences of delayed decision-making, raising concerns about public health management and governmental preparedness. Baroness Hallett concluded that the repeated errors and late interventions made the lockdown “unavoidable” and “inexcusable.”

This review of the Welsh government’s 2020 response underscores the vital importance of timely action in managing public health crises and offers lessons for future pandemic preparedness across the UK.