No change to covid rules
NO CHANGES are being made to Wales’ Covid rules, meaning all businesses remain open and Wales has the lowest level of restrictions.
Today is the latest review by the Welsh Government which will be detailed in full by the First Minister Mark Drakeford at a press conference at 12.15pm.
While no changes are being brought in, the First Minister will lay out what could change in a worst-case scenario for Wales. Referred to as “Covid Urgent” it will explain what could happen if there were sudden changes, such as a new variant or if vaccine immunity levels fall which could both “risk overwhelming the NHS”.
If those happened, it would mean a return to the alert level system and restrictions in Wales, but the First Minister will say they would only be used “proportionately” and as a “last resort”.
The so-called “Covid Stable” is described as “the most likely scenario for the future” where “we become used to living with coronavirus and we gradually move out of the pandemic to a position where the virus becomes a seasonal illness”.
Speaking ahead of his press conference, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “We are facing a challenging winter ahead – coronavirus hasn’t gone away and flu is forecast to return this winter.
“Vaccination is the best defence we have against coronavirus – the more people who are fully vaccinated, the better our chances of controlling the spread of this awful virus. We will continue to focus our efforts on increasing take-up of the Covid-19 vaccine across the age and priority groups and rolling out the booster vaccine too. We also encourage everyone who is eligible, to have their flu jab this year.
“There is also a range of other measures we can all take to help protect ourselves and our loved ones, such as washing our hands, reducing the number of people we meet and wearing a face covering in indoor public places. These measures have helped keep us safe throughout the pandemic and they will also help to protect us from other winter viruses, such as flu and other respiratory infections.”