Customers of large retailers in Wales were greeted on Saturday with rows upon rows of shelves covered with plastic sheets or crisscrossed with tape. The businesses didn’t have much choice in the matter – they had to comply with new government guidelines meant to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Wales went into a 17-day “firebreak shutdown” on Friday evening, during which non-essential businesses will remain closed. And if a small shop cannot sell clothes, apparently neither can a giant retailer. That is because the government has to “maintain a level playing field” and not allow people “browsing around supermarkets looking for non-essential goods”, as First Minister Mark Drakeford put it. So, if you planned to buy warm clothes for your baby ahead of sub-zero-temperature weather, tough luck – order something online.