Ending of Wales’ remaining Covid rules could be pushed back as cases rise

The ending of the last remaining Covid restrictions in Wales could be pushed back as cases rise.

The legal requirement to wear masks in shops, on public transport and to self-isolate, is currently set to end at the start of next week.

Ministers will meet on Thursday as part of their usual three-weekly review to decide whether the last remaining rules should be axed.

However, the Welsh Government’s Health Minister has today advised some rules could be extended beyond that period.

During a press conference held at lunchtime, Eluned Morgan said any decision will have to be considered carefully following a rise in Covid cases.

She said: “You can see case rates growing in Wales – the latest results suggest one in every 25 people is infected.

“It is going to be a very finely balanced judgment in terms of whether we continue with our planned approach to releasing those very final restrictions that we still have in place.

“There are no foregone conclusions and we are analysing the data.

“We’re giving ourselves as much time as we can to look at what’s happening elsewhere in the United Kingdom to learn from their experiences.

“We will act in the best interest of the NHS and of the public health in Wales.”

The minister provided an update about the latest public health situation in Wales as the country prepares to mark the second anniversary of the pandemic and the first lockdown.

Since the end of January, she said there had been a steady decline in cases of coronavirus after the winter Omicron wave receded.

However, Wales has recently seen a “marked increase” in cases in all areas and in all age groups, driven by the emergence of the BA.2 subtype of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

Ms Morgan said during the press conference that there are currently more than 1,200 Covid patients in hospital beds at the moment.

She said: “This is the highest level we’ve seen since last March, and it’s set to rise even further.

“Fortunately, there are low numbers of people in intensive care with Covid-19 at the moment and the number of NHS staff who are absent because they have Covid-19 or are self-isolating is also rising.

“We have got to consider the pressures on the NHS at the moment, our hospitals are full already.

“We’ve actually got the lowest rates of Covid within the United Kingdom but we’ve always tried to follow the science follow the data, and this is going to be a finely balanced judgment.

“It may be that we’ll look at keeping some restrictions and forging ahead with the ones that we planned already. But there are no decisions that have been made so far.”

Ms Morgan said there are signs the latest form of the virus is more transmissible than the original Omicron variant.

The minister also cautioned that people who have previously had Covid won’t be immune to it.

You can watch the press conference in full below.

Cynhadledd i'r Wasg | Press Conference 22.02.22 https://t.co/KAaURdmnEw

— Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) March 22, 2022