Wearing face masks will be ‘personal choice’ for people in Wales, says Health Minister
PEOPLE in Wales will not be recommended to wear face masks in public, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said yesterday.
He said the use of non-medical masks or coverings should only be “a matter of personal choice”, contrasting with advice given in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Public Health Wales said a total of 1,132 people have now died after testing positive for coronavirus, an increase of 16 on Monday’s figures, while a further 105 positive tests brought the total number of cases to 11,573.
However, as PHW’s figures only cover patients in hospitals the overall number of cases and deaths is likely to be significantly higher.
Yesterday the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which includes data for all settings, reported that up to the week ending May 1 there had been 1,641 deaths involving coronavirus in Wales.
Mr Gething told the Welsh Government’s daily press briefing that Chief Medical Officer for Wales Frank Atherton “does not recommend that everyone should wear face masks or coverings”.
“He believes this should be a matter of personal choice,” Mr Gething said.
Dr Atherton later released a statement saying Covid-19 had put strain on supplies of PPE across the world, and that there were doubts there would be enough clinical masks for people on the front line if the public began to use them too.
He said using non-clinical coverings “might be useful” in stopping transmissions through coughs and sneezes and preventing touching of the face, but could also lead to both an increase in “risky behaviours” by people with symptoms and to discrimination by those who cannot make or buy one.
Dr Atherton said: “As Chief Medical Officer for Wales, I am not recommending everyone wears a nonclinical face covering in Wales – I am not recommending they are compulsory.
“However, I support the public’s right to choose whether to wear them.
“Our advice remains to stay at home, to protect the NHS and save lives.
“If you are leaving your home to work, shop or exercise, you should take all possible measures to stay safe and protect yourself, including maintaining social distancing, washing your hands regularly and not touching your face.”
First Minister Mark Drakeford had said on Monday there was only a “marginal public health case” for non-medical face coverings, and that while people should wear them if it gave them “confidence”, he would not be making their use mandatory.
The UK Government has stated people in England should wear face coverings when they are in “an enclosed space where social distancing isn’t possible and where you will come into contact with people you do not normally meet”.
Scottish Government guidance recommends using coverings including scarves, saying “there may be some benefit in wearing a facial covering” when leaving home to go to enclosed spaces, giving examples of protecting against transmission for people while on public transport or entering a food shop.
Northern Ireland’ Health Minister Robin Swann has also recommended members of the public consider using face coverings “for short periods in enclosed spaces, where social distancing is not possible”.
At yesterday’s press conference, Mr Gething said the daily Covid-19 testing capacity in Wales had now reached 5,330, though data from Public Health Wales showed only 1,193 tests were actually carried out on Monday.
Mr Gething said he expected to see an increase in the use of the capacity this week, while work was continuing to increase the number of tests available ahead of Wales adopting its “test, track, trace” plan.
Two new drive-through testing centres have also opened, one in Swansea and the other in Abercynon, with eight mobile units throughout Wales in total.
He said: “As of Sunday we had carried out just over 49,500 tests in Wales on over 42,000 people. Of these just over 11,000 tests were positive.”
When asked about whether the border could close between England and Wales Mr Gething said he didn’t believe it was a viable option.
He said the Welsh Government was “obviously concerned” at the change in tone from the UK Government, which he described as “unhelpful”.
“I don’t think closing the border is
a real option. It doesn’t actually help us,” he said, adding that the government would have to erect border controls.
He also said it may not be something they have the power to do.
“What really matters is policing and enforcing the regulations,” he said.
In its latest survey of the Welsh public, PHW has revealed there is a decrease in concern shown about becoming infected with the virus.
The Health Minister stressed there remained a “very high level of support” and compliance for the lockdown in Wales but admitted “some people were getting restless”.
“We are following the rules for a purpose and that is to make sure we avoid the direct harm Covid-19 causes,” he said.
He said the Welsh Government and police forces are concerned about the differences in messaging between Wales and England and said it was clear behaviour has been changing.
“This weekend we saw more people moving and we saw a significant increase in fixed-penalty notices across Wales for breach of the rules.
“We want to make sure we encourage our own citizens to follow the rules and equally send a clear message to our friends across the border in England to visit Wales, but later.”
Elsewhere, Wales Golf, the country’s governing body for the sport, announced golf clubs were now permitted to reopen at their own discretion, after the Welsh Government clarified courses were not included on the list of businesses that must remain closed.
Golfers, however, will need to be local to a course in order not to breach restrictions on travelling for exercise.