First Minister announces Welsh lockdown to continue & sets out back to school plans

The First Minister will today confirm alert level four lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Wales for the next three weeks.

Welsh Government explain while the situation in Wales is improving, lockdown restrictions must continue for another three weeks to allow the NHS to recover.

At the lunchtime briefing later today the First Minister will also indicate that the youngest learners in primary school could begin returning to school after the February half term, if rates of coronavirus continue to fall.

The Welsh Government say they will work with schools and education partners “on a phased and flexible return to school after 22 February, if the public health situation continues to improve”.

Rates of coronavirus across Wales have fallen below 200 cases per 100,000 people for the first time since early November – although across North Wales several areas are well ahead of that figure – Denbighshire (241 per 100k) Flintshire (369 per 100k) and Wrexham (477 per 100k).

And every day, thousands more people receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine – the latest figures show almost 11% of the population have been vaccinated.

Top pic: The podium in Cardiff where the First Minister will speak from.