Speaking virtually to the House of Commons earlier in the week, Wrexham’s MP, Sarah Atherton, addressed the coronavirus pandemic in Wrexham.
Sarah Atherton praised the community response to COVID-19 in Wrexham. She said:
“The people of Wrexham have stepped up to support one another during this crisis. Small cottage industries, community interest groups and neighbour groups have sprung into action to check on the vulnerable people, keep morale high, and deliver food parcels and prescriptions.”
As a former nurse and social worker, Sarah joined the COVID-19 Temp Nursing register, and is undergoing ‘back to floor training’, along with other former nurses and clinicians. Ms Atherton commented on the dedicated of the NHS staff in Wrexham.
She said: “I have been overwhelmed by the resilience, spirit and determination of the hospital staff at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.”
Further, Sarah relayed messages of thanks to the Treasury for their support during the crisis.
She said: “without the Government’s generous package of support, we would now be facing business closures and job losses.”
Pushing for a one nation approach to the handling of the pandemic, Sarah said:
“The Government has confronted this virus as one United Kingdom. Our Prime Minister has set out a road map to rebuild the United Kingdom for a world with coronavirus. It is a plan that will give the people of the United Kingdom hope.
“However, the virus has spread at different rates across the country. Therefore, parts of the UK are beginning to move at slightly different speeds. It is this progression of the virus and its consequences that has now caused us, who live on the border with England, some practical challenges.
“Should people drive the few miles over the border to go to work if that work is not possible from home? Should they drive a few miles over the border to drop their children off at school when schools in Wales are closed? Are our neighbours in England aware that they cannot drive the few miles here to enjoy our countryside for their recreation without risking a fine?
“This is why a one nation approach to monitoring and managing the R number is vital.
“I hope that the trial of the UK Government’s contact tracing app is successful. When it is available, it is essential that the Welsh Government waste no time in deploying this app across Wales—the same app as in England. To design their own will only cause further delay. However, if this route is taken, I request that the Welsh app at least communicates with its English counterpart; otherwise, it will not serve us who live in a border constituency, nor will it benefit the national monitoring of this pandemic.”