‘WEAR A MASK IN HOSPITAL’
Plea follows localised Covid spike:
HEALTH bosses in North Wales are urging people to wear masks at hospital sites as Wrexham experiences a spike in coronavirus cases. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has issued a fresh statement after it was confirmed more than 40 people were currently in hospital with Covid-19 in Wrexham.
They are now asking people in public parts of hospital buildings in North Wales to wear a face covering.
Gill Harris, executive director of nursing and midwifery at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, said: “Although the number of cases of Covid-19 in North Wales is currently low, over the past couple of weeks, there has been an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Wrexham area.
“We ask that people continue to avoid coming into our hospitals with any Covid-19 symptoms and avoid visiting the Wrexham Maelor Hospital Emergency Department unless it is necessary.
“We are now actively encouraging patients, the public and staff to wear face coverings or masks in public areas of all health board sites.
“More information about this will follow in the coming days.
“Covid-19 is highly infectious and it can be challenging to prevent the spread of the virus and although we have taken a range of actions, we appeal to the public for their support as we all have a role to play in preventing the spread of infection. We ask that our communities continue to maintain good hand hygiene and observe social distancing guidance.”
The move came as Wales recorded no new coronavirus deaths for the fifth time this week. Public Health Wales (PHW) announced yesterday that the number of deaths with labconfirmed Covid-19 since the outbreak began remained at 1,548.
There have now been no new deaths reported by the NHS trust on 11 occasions this month (July 6, 10, 12, 13, 16, 18, 20, 21, 23, 24 and 25).
However, this doesn’t necessarily mean no-one died with the virus on those specific dates as it can take several days for a death to be logged officially.
Meanwhile, PHW has said the number of lab-confirmed positive cases of coronavirus in Wales has increased by 30 to bring the total to 17,105.
The latest figures were announced on the day it was confirmed that campsites and tourist accommodation with shared facilities, such as hotels, could reopen.
Tomorrow, cinemas, museums and beauty salons are set to open their doors as well and a new rule making it compulsory to wear a face covering on public transport comes into force.
The following businesses are able to open their doors tomorrow:
■ Beauty salons;
■ Nail parlours;
■ Tattoo shops;
■ Cinemas;
■ Amusement arcades;
■ Museums and galleries.
Public Health Wales has confirmed that there have been no further cases of coronavirus found associated with an outbreak at the 2 Sisters factory in Anglesey.
Dr Chris Williams, incident director for the novel coronavirus (Covid19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “The total therefore remains at 221 cases linked to the outbreak. The fact that no new cases have been recorded is a positive sign, and indicates that control measures have been effective.
“The focused testing programme has been concluded, and there is no evidence of wider community transmission resulting from the outbreak. As long as there is no change to this position, then we will look to formally bring this outbreak to a close in the near future.”
Yesterday, police were patrolling a Welsh national park to enforce a warning about illegal parking.
The action comes after chaotic scenes last weekend as walkers and day-trippers flocked to Snowdonia following the easing of coronavirus lockdown regulations.
Hundreds of vehicles were seen parked on the roadside and on verges along the narrow roads, and almost 200 parking tickets were handed out in a single day. The illegal parking prompted a warning that this weekend offending cars could be removed – meaning some visitors to Gwynedd could be in for a much longer walk than they had planned for.
North Wales Police reported that by 8am yesterday some 60 vehicles had already been turned away from the popular Pen-y-Pass car park, which is only being used as a drop-off site for buses and taxis in an attempt to tackle the parking problem.
The parking crackdown also involves Gwynedd council, the Snowdonia National Park Authority and the Welsh Government’s trunk road agency. As well as Pen-y-Pass, other potential hot spots and key roads are being monitored.
In some locations, such as a stretch of the A5 in Dyffryn Ogwen, rows of traffic cones have been laid to prevent parking on the side of the road.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s crackdown, North Wales Police superintendent Neil Thomas said his officers were working closely with colleagues at Gwynedd Council and the National Park to help reduce the risk to walkers, cyclists and other road users.
He said: “The measures have been put in place to maximise public safety. This is a 60mph area and the irresponsible and dangerous parking we saw last weekend not only risked lives but also would have prevented emergency vehicle access.
“Anybody found to be parked on the clearway or causing an obstruction will have their vehicle removed at their own expense. Please heed the warning.”