Downing Street faces Tory revolt as MPs grow angry at government’s refusal to extend scheme during October half-term

Wales’ health minister Vaughan Gething has said supermarkets have discretion to sell non-essential items to customers “in genuine need” during the firebreak lockdown.

Welsh government ministers were meeting retailers on Monday afternoon to review the regulations and guidance and ensure “that it is being applied fairly and consistently”, he said.

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 want to unravel that now we’ll be in a very different place, a less effective measure, and that’s not what this government is going to do.

Related: Wales lockdown confusion after Tesco tweet claims it cannot sell period pads

Nicola Sturgeon has said she has “no plans” to reduce the two-week self-isolation period in Scotland.

The first minister was asked about reports that the UK government was considering reducing the length of time people with coronavirus symptoms or close contacts of people who test positive should isolate.

We have no plans at the moment to reduce the period of self-isolation. We keep all of this under review; we don’t want people to live under the most severe restrictions for longer than is absolutely necessary.

We have no plans with the present clinical advice to change that in any way. As far as I know, there is no clinical advice in the other three UK countries.

There’s no present plan, but we keep it under constant review globally and locally and if we think the incubation period has changed or we think the risk has changed in some way, then we will of course advise appropriately. But for now, I’m afraid it’s still a 14-day self-isolation.

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