Welsh Conservatives leader urges UK Health Minister to waive Cardiff 'double quarantine'

Andrew RT Davies is the Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central

Welsh Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies has urged the UK government Health Secretary to waive the double quarantine for six Cardiff personnel.

They isolated for 10 days there and are now doing the same in England.

Davies hopes Sajid Javid "will agree this is a very unique set of circumstances, which would not have been foreseen in the original rules".

In a letter to Javid, Davies added: "I hope, therefore, that you will consider waiving the need for the Cardiff Rugby employees to complete this back-to-back hotel quarantine - pending a negative PCR test - which amounts to three weeks of isolation.

"At the very least, I believe some flexibility should be provided and any isolation period deemed necessary completed at home.

"There are significant concerns for the mental health of the employees, and I agree with Cardiff's head coach Dai Young when he says: 'For people to be facing more than three weeks of isolation is hard to bear.'

"This is a very unique circumstance and one which I hope can be recognised and handled accordingly."

Davies has also asked Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford to "make necessary representations to ministers in the UK government so the six can be released home as soon as possible".

The bulk of the Cardiff party arrived in the UK on Friday, 3 December and are soon due to leave their 10 days of hotel isolation.

However, the six who tested positive had to isolate in Cape Town and Cardiff chief executive Richard Holland has expressed his fear that the six will have their isolation periods extended.

Arrivals from red-listed countries must take a Covid test two days after entering the UK.

"They're carrying Covid so the likelihood is they're going to test positive and have to default to another 10 days," Holland told BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"It needs a rethink and it needs adapting and that's what we're urging the authorities to do.

"Everyone we talk to sympathises and agrees, but what we actually need to happen is something to change and that's what we're pushing for."

• Omicron: Wales plans to offer all adults booster jabs by end of year
• Omicron: Curbs on people meeting in Wales on the cards
• Covid: Lateral flow test shortage after high demand

Cardiff believe the six - and those in similar situations - should not have to isolate again having already done so abroad.

Holland added: "We're not looking for an exemption for Cardiff rugby players.

"We think that the legislation should look after everybody else who's in this situation as well.

"It doesn't make any sense to us and that's what we're challenging."

He added: "Everyone you speak to and the medical scientists will tell you that what they're having to do is crazy, but the legislation doesn't permit for them currently to be allowed to go home.

"So we're working through it and I'm hopeful that we can find some resolution and common sense prevails.

"The message that has to go out there is there's a plan A in place, but there doesn't seem to be a plan B, C or D and we've been in this pandemic now for two years - there needs to be a plan B different eventualities.

"And if you've been diagnosed with Covid and you're certified as having had Covid it actually supersedes a PCR test, so in terms of travel regulations the legislation needs to be adapted and amended to look after different cases."

The UK government has been asked to respond to Davies' letter having previously said: "We have taken precautionary and temporary action at the border to help slow down the seeding of the Omicron variant in the UK from abroad, buying time for our scientists to learn more about the variant.

"The quarantine measures we have in place are minimising the risk of variants coming into the UK and safeguarding the hard-won progress of our vaccination programme."

In the absence of the players - and staff members - a makeshift Cardiff team gave a spirited display in their home 39-7 European Champions Cup defeat by Toulouse on Saturday.

Cardiff go to Harlequins in the same competition next Saturday.