Richard Pugh, head of partnerships at Macmillan Cancer Support

FOR many months, around 130,000 vulnerable people in Wales at greater risk of falling gravely ill if they catch coronavirus have been shielding at home.

Since March, people with longterm health conditions, who may ordinarily lead full and active lives, have been told to stay indoors.

Many of those people have cancer – something that is difficult enough to cope with even at the best of times, even more so when isolated from loved ones and their vital support networks.

The announcement that shielding will end in Wales on Sunday, August 16 has been mostly met with a sense of relief by everyone affected.

But there is also considerable anxiety.

Coronavirus hasn’t gone away, although its prevalence in our communities is, thankfully, much lower.

Macmillan welcomed Wales’ Chief Medical Officer Dr Frank Atherton’s comments saying this would need to be a ‘gradual’ resumption of everyday life.

Gradual is the word that employers, healthcare workers, service providers and communities right across Wales need to base their approach on.

The pace at which people reenter the world – be it work, shopping, leisure or travel – will not be universal.

We all have a responsibility to make sure decisions about how, and how quickly people return to their ‘everyday’, are made by the person who is shielding.

People must be given the freedom to respond to shielding’s end in the way that works best for both their mental and physical wellbeing.

There will be challenges.

For many of those who have been shielding, one of the first issues might be work.

Across Wales there are around 32,000 people living with cancer

who are currently in work (19%), with around 12,000 people in this group saying they feel it’s currently unsafe for them to work outside of their home.

We welcome the fact that in Wales our First Minister Mark Drakeford has encouraged everyone who can to do their job from home to continue doing so indicating it “remains cornerstone of our approach”.

As shielding ends, we need all employers to make provisions for their most vulnerable staff, including people with cancer, and to understand their legal duties towards them when it comes to legislation and in the context of coronavirus.

This includes the duty to make reasonable adjustments, such as working from home or reshaping people’s working environment.

There is also a strong case for the UK Government to extend furlough for those at greatest risk.

We know for many people with cancer, work and finances are often the biggest sources of worry after their diagnosis and treatment.

The problems cancer can cause to finances are also being felt more deeply through this pandemic.

Around 2,000 people living with cancer in Wales (1%) have been left with no income at all during this crisis.

Across Wales and the wider UK, around one in three people with cancer who are also in work said that Covid-19 had affected their finances.

Right now, there are around 4,000 people with cancer in Wales (3%) who said they had struggled to pay for basic essentials or bills, such as food or energy, during the coronavirus crisis.

Many will be facing the mental burden of worrying about how they can continue to pay for something as vital as having enough to eat.

Ultimately, the measures put in place by government for those shielding has been a vital lifeline for many over the last four months.

Some of that support, like the weekly food delivery scheme for people who are shielding, is now likely to end.

The question is how well our communities can collectively ‘step up’ to fill such gaps, such as the need for supermarkets to continue priority delivery slots for vulnerable customers.

It doesn’t stop at the weekly shop. During this crisis there have been endless stories about how public services and local communities have come together to support people in their area.

As the world reopens, we must not forget there will still be people who cannot yet fully re-enter it, and who don’t have the support network around them to fill the gaps created as support systems fall away.

Collectively, governments, the health sector and our local communities must continue to rally around to support our most vulnerable people to make sure no-one gets left behind.

If you are worried about work or about how to support someone with cancer, Macmillan is here to help.

Our welfare benefits advisers are also there to help anyone affected by cancer with their money worries.

For advice, information or just a chat call Macmillan free on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org. uk