One new Covid-19 death is reported in Wales
Welsh tourism destinations ‘frantically busy’ as doors finally reopen after pandemic lockdown
ONE new coronavirus death has been reported in Wales, and seven new cases have been confirmed.
Public Health Wales (PHW) confirmed yesterday that the number of people who had coronavirus and died is now
1,541 in Wales, and the number of positive cases is 15,946.
As it can take several days for deaths to be reported to PHW, the statistics for when deaths happened – as opposed to when they were reported – are slightly different.
The true death toll where the virus was mentioned on a death certificate was 2,438 by June
26, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In addition, PHW said the number of lab-confirmed positive cases of coronavirus in Wales has increased by 10 to bring the total to 15,939.
The number of daily positive cases has been on the decline in recent days with 16 reported on Thursday, 13 on Wednesday, seven on Tuesday, and eight on Monday.
The PHW dashboard has stopped revealing on a daily basis where the new cases are.
The latest figures were announced as lockdown restrictions in Wales started to ease with the opening of some holiday businesses.
Dr Chris Williams, Incident director for the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak response at PHW, said: “Public Health Wales welcomes the gradual easing of lockdown measures with the opening of self-catering accommodation in Wales from today and hairdressers, pub gardens and outdoor cafes from Monday.
“However, we continue to caution and remind the public and business-owners that we all have a vital role in preventing the spread of coronavirus by always sticking to social distancing guidelines – staying two metres away from others, and washing hands regularly. When travelling you should also avoid car sharing with people outside your household.”
“Anyone with suspected symptoms of Covid-19 infection – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss of smell or taste (anosmia) – must self isolate and seek an urgent test. Confirmed cases must isolate for seven days, with members of their household isolating for 14 days until the risk of passing on further infection has gone.”
HOLIDAY businesses in Wales have begun adjusting to the “new normal” with unprecedented levels of demand as lockdown restrictions ease. Yesterday saw the reopening of tourism across the country as selfcontained accommodation providers were able to open cottages, bed and breakfasts and caravans for the first time since March. The reopening during the summer holiday season comes as a major boost to businesses following months of uncertainty, with the country relying heavily on it.
Tourism supports around 120,000 jobs in Wales – nearly 10% of the country’s workforce – and contributes more than £3m to the economy.
Tommy Davies runs Coed-Y-Glyn Log Cabins, a set of five-star riverside lodges in the North Wales village of Glyndyfrdwy, Denbighshire.
He said: “We’re doing virtual checkins now. We’ve only got four lodges, so we could usually give it quite a personal touch and either myself or another member of staff will go down and welcome the guest personally, shake their hand, ask how their journey was.
“Obviously we can’t do that anymore. Now we give them pre-arrival emails with all the stuff they would normally get, and FaceTime them when they arrive.
“So what we can’t do is the personal touch, in every sense of the word. So we’ll have to adapt and change.
“This is the new normal.”
Mr Davies said check-in times for the lodges, which are now fully booked until November, have had to be put back an hour to allow a “belt and braces” clean with approved virus-killing products.
Hand sanitiser is given to guests, who are asked to strip their bedding themselves after their visit as per industry guidelines.
The owner of Brecon Beacons Holiday Cottages, which has 400 properties for hire around the national park in South Wales, said the business has been “frantically busy” with bookings since the go-ahead to reopen was given.
Elizabeth Daniel said around 90% of the cottages will be occupied for the first week of reopening, compared to about 75% at the same period last year – with a notable increase in the number of Welsh guests.
She said virus-killing hand gel will be given to visitors, made by the Penderyn whisky and spirits distillery in Aberdare, while staff will carry out a bacterial clean on top of normal cleaning duties.
But she criticised what she said had been a lack of clarity from the Welsh Government which had caused problems for her business and guests, with the date for reopening changed.
She said: “There was massive confusion, and we ended up upsetting a lot of people who we had booked from Friday the 10th. Then Wales announced the 13th, and then went back to the 11th.”
The reopening also came as a huge relief to Three Cliffs Bay Holiday Park, near the sandy beach of the same name in Gower, Swansea, which relies heavily on its summer trade.
Due to the current restrictions, the
site will only be operating at 15% capacity at first, with 23 motor home and caravan pitches and space for more than 110 tents once shared camping facilities are allowed in Wales from July 25.
Owner Tom Beynon said he felt “blessed” after taking 300 bookings on Friday alone, leading to him having to employ an extra person to man the company’s phone, while his website also crashed due to demand.
The holiday site has been fitted with social distancing signs and protective screens at its site shop, with the reopening also allowing 10 staff members to be brought back out of the usual 16 he employs.
Mr Beynon said: “Being closed has been pretty damaging. We’re one of these businesses that plough on in the winter getting ready to recoup near the summer.
“We, as a family, have worked over a long time to build up the businesses we’ve crafted, but people have really looked after us. You began to wonder would they go to England instead or done something else, because everyone’s had a tough time.
“We’ve had 300 bookings Friday, five nights per booking, people have really backed us and are booking it as their main holiday. It’s phenomenal, we’ve never experienced demand like that.
“We’re very pleased, and in a lot better shape now than we were on Thursday.”
Meanwhile, First Minister Mark Drakeford yesterday took a first-hand look at how tourism businesses were preparing to welcome back visitors to Wales as the sector opened for the first time since the since the start of the pandemic.
He visited The Hide in St Donats, Vale of Glamorgan, to see the measures self-contained accommodation was putting in place as the first visitors arrived in Wales.
The visit comes after the First Minister announced a new – and extensive – package of measures to further lift Wales’ coronavirus restrictions, which will see large parts of Wales’ visitor, hospitality, leisure and tourism industries reopen over the next three weeks.
As of tomorrow, pubs, bars and restaurants will be able to open outdoors, as well as most indoor attractions. Mr Drakeford has also signalled tourist accommodation with shared facilities, such as camping sites, can prepare to open from July 25.
Detailed discussions about how hospitality businesses can operate in a coronavirus-safe way indoors are ongoing, with plans for reopening from August 3, if conditions allow.
Mr Drakeford said: “This crisis has had a profound impact on the visitor economy – at a time when our businesses should have been experiencing a busy Easter, they were turning guests away.
“We are now cautiously reopening tourism in Wales in a phased way, which will give businesses, staff, visitors and communities the confidence for a successful reopening.
“We are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to Wales and to see people from Wales revisiting their favourite places again and discovering new ones.
“Over the summer we want people to visit Wales safely – by looking after their health; protecting this beautiful land and by leaving no trace behind; caring for the countryside by sticking to paths and leaving gates as they are found and keeping dogs on leads. Let us all embrace Wales’ open spaces and avoid crowded areas, wherever we can.
“We can enjoy the best of Wales by choosing local businesses and buying Welsh produce, making a difference to local economies and experiencing the culture and language of Wales and respecting communities which are ready to welcome us back.”
Paula Warren, from The Hide, said: “We’re delighted to once again be able to welcome visitors to The Hide, we’ve missed our visitors and are looking to forward to the rest of the summer.
“Our number one priority is the well-being and safety of our guests and team members. To secure just that, we have rigorous procedures and routines in place regarding enhanced cleaning and physical distancing. We want our guests to have the confidence that everything is in hand so that they can get on, relax and enjoy their holiday.”
And, as people prepare to start exploring Wales again, Visit Wales has introduced a pledge to encourage everyone who visits Wales to care for each other, for the land and for communities.
The pledge, which encourages everyone to do the little things that make a big difference can be signed at www.visitwales.com/promise
Visitors are also being asked to plan ahead as much as possible and to book their stay in Wales.
DOCTORS and nurses working in the Welsh NHS claim the decision to reopen schools fulltime in September should be “greeted with optimism”.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams announced on Thursday that schools in Wales are being given the option to open either on September 1 or September 14.
But Ms Williams admitted that only limited social distancing would be possible as children will be in “contact groups” of around 30.
She added that every school will be provided with a supply of home testing kits in case people develop symptoms.
The Welsh Government is also providing an extra £29m to schools to recruit 600 teachers and 300 teaching assistants to help pupils whose education has been hardest hit by the lockdown.
Dr Farbod Babolhavaeji, a consultant in emergency medicine at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW), Cardiff, said the announcement has been largely welcomed by NHS staff.
He said his paediatric colleagues have been broadly supportive of the plans, too.
“I think overall the Welsh Government’s plan to fully open Welsh schools in September with extra support should be greeted with optimism,” he said.
“We know that children are far less vulnerable to the effects of coronavirus, so the risks to them are minimal.
“Schools have worked hard over this lockdown period to mitigate as much as possible the spread from pupil to pupil as well as pupil to teachers.”
Dr Babolhavaeji said, while education is vitally important to children, the social interactions and relationships built at a young age are just as crucial.
“It also cannot be understated the important work that teachers do in terms of child protection, public health and mental health advocacy,” he added.
“For many vulnerable and atrisk children school provides respite from difficult or chaotic family lives and provides teachers a chance to identify families in need of extra support.”
He added that any school’s policy will have to be in “constant review” as the situation with the epidemic may change significantly in the autumn months.
“The Welsh Government will have to be proactive as well as reactive,” he concluded.
“The disease burden of autumn and winter always stretches NHS services anyway, but Covid-19 will only add to this. All we can do is hope for the best while preparing for the worst.”
Dr David Tuthill, officer for Wales at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), said more than 2,500 of its members signed an open letter two weeks ago calling on the UK’s governments to publish plans to reopen schools more fully.
“Paediatricians welcome the announcement from Education Minister Kirsty Williams that we have a plan for getting children back to school in Wales,” he said.
“We were pleased that most children were able to have some contact time in schools this term, but it is really important now that schools, teachers and parents are able to plan for September.
“We also welcome the funding made available to ‘recruit, recover and raise standards’. We hope this will form part of a broader recovery plan for children and young people.”
He said there was “improving” evidence around Covid-19 which shows that children are less susceptible to Covid-19 than adults and almost never get severely ill.
“The evidence from many countries around the world is that transmission in schools is low,” he added.
“Teachers do so much more than teach and schools provide so much more than education. It is a vital point of contact for public health services, safeguarding and access to mental health support that help children get the best start in life.
“The longer schools close, the more children miss out. We’re particularly concerned at the inequalities that will result because the impact of Covid-19 is borne by children and families who have the fewest resources and need the most support.
“It’s important now that we see the ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ programme working effectively with schools to give parents, teachers and children the confidence they need – especially if we do have a second wave.” ve.”
Similarly, y, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) RCN) in Wales says reopening schools chools fully will help children’s emotional wellbeing.
Nicky Hughes, ughes, RCN Wales associate director ector of nursing (employment ent relations), said:
“We have been hearing that the Covid-19 -19 lockdown has had a detrimental effect on the mental health of our ur children and young people as routines have ave been lost and they ey have been isolated solated from their peers.
“School nurses have e essential roles oles that contribute to the physiical health and emotional well-being of school-aged d children and nd young people, ple, their families es and the wider der community. y.
“Allowing ing pupils to return eturn to the structure ucture of the classroom oom will go some way to bringing about the return of normality. ormality.
Furthermore, re, this positive step tep will help to reduce educe the stress of those ose nurses who have had to juggle childcare arrangements and nursing ng responsibilities.
“However, er, there will be nurses who ho have concerns about ut the safety of their children, dren, particularly those with health issues, and d the sustainability of this his situation should a second wave of
Covid-19 hit. The appropriate risk assessments must be in place to limit the spread of Covid-19.”