Medical officer warning Wales of ‘difficult winter’

WALES must prepare itself for a “difficult winter” of further coronavirus restrictions, its chief medical officer has said.

Dr Frank Atherton said the virus will “be with us for some time” and could require areas moving in and out of lockdown.

Dr Atherton told the Covid-19 press briefing that Wales could operate a “flexible policy” to reimpose restrictions if needed, and said he could not rule out a further tightening of rules for licensed premises if needed during the school half-term.

“I know that people don’t want to hear that further restrictions might be necessary, especially as we’ve been through a very difficult time in the summer, and things were improving,” he said.

“It’s not what people want to hear, but I think we need to prepare ourselves for quite a difficult winter.

“It’s really while we wait for a vaccine to become available that we have to really look after ourselves and keep viral transmissions low.”

He said that while he hoped vaccinations would be available by the beginning of next year,

“they certainly won’t be available for everybody”, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying that the most vulnerable would likely be first in line.

There were signs the resurgence of the virus was moving away from people aged between 15 and 30 and into older groups of adults, Dr Atherton said, bringing along an increased risk of hospitalisation and pressure on intensive care units.

But he said he was starting to see “some improvements” in areas placed under local lockdown restrictions.