The Welsh government’s plan to ban people entering Wales from coronavirus hotspots in other parts of the UK risks stirring “division and confusion”, the Welsh secretary has claimed. Simon Hart, a member of the UK cabinet, has called for clarification from the Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, on the ban, which is expected to come into force on Friday evening. Hart also expressed concern over comments from Drakeford that Welsh residents would be “on the lookout” for visitors who defied the ban. The legislation, which is set to prevent people travelling from tier 2 and 3 areas of England, the central belt of Scotland and Northern Ireland into Wales, is being drawn up in Cardiff. Hart wrote: “I remain worried that, without rapid explanation, this approach risks stirring division and confusion in Wales. We both know that, in reality, communities in Wales are as hard hit by Covid-19 as English, Scottish, and Northern Irish communities. “Your recent comment about residents in west Wales being ‘on the lookout for people who shouldn’t be in those areas’ is an example of exactly the situation we should be trying to avoid.” Hart also asked for a number of clarifications, including how the decision was made, the legal guidance behind it, whether university students would be allowed to travel home, and how it would be enforced. He asked whether holiday accommodation providers would be expected to refuse or cancel bookings from guests they believed were breaking the ban. The Commons leader, Jacob Rees-Mogg, accused the Welsh government of “putting a border between England and Wales”, while Stephen Crabb, the Tory MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire, said: “Drakeford is wrong to whip up anti-visitor (English) sentiment.” Drakeford said police forces would carry out extra patrols and could use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to spot people who had travelled from distant locations. He said police officers would explain the rules to people they found flouting the travel restrictions and encourage them to comply, but ultimately they could issue fixed-penalty notices. Drakeford also said holiday businesses could not honour half-term bookings from people in areas of the UK with high levels of coronavirus. However, the Welsh health minister, Vaughan Gething, said forces had managed to police the travel restrictions in Wales during the spring lockdown when “stay local” rules stopped people travelling long distances. Police Federation officials have cast doubt on whether a ban could be enforced, but individual police forces said they were ready to enforce the rules. North Wales police said it would “be increasing our visibility on the strategic road network and undertaking targeted activity”. Fay Jones, the Tory MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, said the move was a “hammer blow” for the tourism industry. She said she had been contacted by businesses reporting a slew of cancellations. She said she supported efforts to prevent the spread of the virus in Wales, but Drakeford should instead be “focusing on the increasingly high rates of transmission”.