Covid rules change as new variant designated ‘of concern’ by WHO
THE Welsh Government has announced changes to its Covid rules in response to the new coronavirus variant designated as “of concern” by the World Health Organisation.
Coronavirus regulations in Wales will be strengthened following the emergence of the new Omicron variant in England.
Yesterday UK Government Health Secretary Sajid Javid said a third case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus had been detected in the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it had identified the case of Omicron in an individual with links to travel in southern Africa who visited Westminster in London before leaving the country.
Dr Jenny Harries, the UKHSA chief executive, acknowledged it is “very likely” that further cases of Omicron, which is feared to spread rapidly and may evade existing vaccines to a degree, will be discovered in the coming days.
A spokesperson for the Welsh Government added: “The emergence of this new variant is a serious development in the ongoing pandemic and reinforces the need for everyone in Wales to get their vaccine or booster when offered, wear face coverings when necessary, and book a test if they develop symptoms.”
The Welsh Government also confirmed on Saturday evening that it will introduce travel restrictions in line with those announced by the UK Government earlier in the day.
This means that anyone who enters Wales from abroad must take a PCR test by the end of the second day after their arrival, and must self-isolate until they have a negative result.
PCR tests have not been required for travellers entering Wales since October 31, following the measures introduced in England a week before.
England has also toughened its rules on wearing masks on public transport and shops, which will come into force tomorrow, but these rules were already in force in Wales.
Targeted testing is being carried out in locations where the latest positive case visited while likely to be infectious, as
well as in Nottingham and Brentwood, Essex, where the first two cases of Omicron were identified.
Mr Javid told families they should plan for Christmas “as normal” and said it is “nowhere near” time to reintroduce social distancing rules and work-from-home guidance, despite precautionary measures being reintroduced to tackle the concerning strain.
He said it “would be irresponsible to make guarantees” during the everchanging pandemic, but he told Sky’s Trevor Phillips on Sunday: “I think people should continue with their plans as normal for Christmas, I think it’s going to be a great Christmas.”
Mr Javid said he expects to receive new advice “imminently”, within the next couple of days, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) after it was tasked with reviewing whether boosters should be extended to all over18s.
The group will also consider whether second doses should be offered to 12 to 15-year-olds, and whether the waiting time before a booster jab could be reduced.
Professor Anthony Harnden, the
JCVI’s deputy chairman, told BBC Radio 4 that extending the age range for boosters and reducing the delay before receiving them is “a sensible strategy” and told under-40s to expect third jabs to be offered to them “earlier than we had previously envisaged”.
Mr Javid said the testing regime for international arrivals will be introduced “as soon as possible”, despite online passenger locator forms stating PCR tests will be required rather than lateral flow tests from 4am tomorrow.Scotland and Northern
Ireland said they also intend to mirror the new border restrictions.
From 4am yesterday South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia plus Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola were added to the UK’s travel red list.
Anyone coming into the UK from one of those countries will need to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days. The new measures will be reviewed within three weeks.
Mr Javid admitted that passengers flying in from southern Africa before 10 nations were added to the red list were not tested on landing and they could have taken public transport to return home.
“I think the speed at which we acted at could not have been any faster,” he told the BBC, adding that those arrivals have been contacted and told to take tests.
Professor Neil Ferguson, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) member whose modelling helped instigate the first lockdown, said he expects to see “substantially larger numbers” of Omicron in the UK in the coming days, but he welcomed the new measures as “proportionate” to slow the spread while scientists analyse its properties.
Yvette Cooper, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons Home Affairs Committee, urged the government to “immediately” reinstate pre-travel tests because the new approach “leaves far too many gaps”, with potentially infected passengers able to travel home on public transport.
The Welsh Government had previously raised concerns with the UK Government about the removal of PCR test requirements for travellers, with First Minister Mark Drakeford saying he had “consistently urged” the UK Government to take a more precautionary approach.
Speaking on Saturday, a Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the UK Government about its decision to relax international travel rules quickly, precisely because of the risk of introducing new variants into the UK.
“We also warned against the removal of PCR tests for returning travellers.
“We will be introducing the same measures on international travel as those announced this afternoon by the UK Government and the other devolved governments.
“Welsh Ministers will continue to meet this evening and over the weekend to monitor the situation in Wales and decide whether any further immediate action is required to protect public health.”