This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-59608292
The article has changed 15 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Drakeford: Wales Covid rules to be reviewed twice before Christmas | |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| Mark Drakeford fears the speed of Omicron transmission could see a surge in hospital admissions | Mark Drakeford fears the speed of Omicron transmission could see a surge in hospital admissions |
| Wales' Covid rules could change before Christmas after the first minister announced he would review them week-by-week. | Wales' Covid rules could change before Christmas after the first minister announced he would review them week-by-week. |
| Mark Drakeford has held off imposing new restrictions for the time being. | Mark Drakeford has held off imposing new restrictions for the time being. |
| But he said ministers will be monitoring the situation closely if they need to put in place "additional protections" in response to Omicron. | But he said ministers will be monitoring the situation closely if they need to put in place "additional protections" in response to Omicron. |
| The change means there will be two weekly reviews in the run-up to Christmas. | The change means there will be two weekly reviews in the run-up to Christmas. |
| The Welsh government urged individuals to take lateral flow tests before going shopping, going to Christmas parties or visiting others. | The Welsh government urged individuals to take lateral flow tests before going shopping, going to Christmas parties or visiting others. |
| It also extended guidance on mask wearing to pubs and restaurants, when people are not eating. | It also extended guidance on mask wearing to pubs and restaurants, when people are not eating. |
| People urged to use Covid tests before going out | People urged to use Covid tests before going out |
| Does Wales have its own Covid Plan B? | Does Wales have its own Covid Plan B? |
| It comes as the Scottish government warned of a "tsunami" of Omicron cases, with the variant likely to displace Delta as the dominant form of coronavirus in days. | |
| Mr Drakeford said Wales "may be about a week behind what is happening in other parts of England and Scotland". | Mr Drakeford said Wales "may be about a week behind what is happening in other parts of England and Scotland". |
| "And that may give us a little bit more time here in Wales to learn and to act". | "And that may give us a little bit more time here in Wales to learn and to act". |
| Usually the government looks at the rules once every three weeks. | Usually the government looks at the rules once every three weeks. |
| He said because of the speed at which things may change the cabinet will will move from three weekly reviews to reviews once a week. | He said because of the speed at which things may change the cabinet will will move from three weekly reviews to reviews once a week. |
| It is unclear what restrictions Wales will have over Christmas | It is unclear what restrictions Wales will have over Christmas |
| Nine cases of Omicron have been found in Wales, among a total of 817 in the UK. | |
| But it is believed that the figures are underestimates, and that the new variant is more transmissible than Delta, which currently dominates in the UK. | |
| The first minister said he is "sure it is actually the case" that there are more cases of Omicron in Wales. | |
| Wales' latest case rate stands at 504.6 cases over seven days per 100,000 people, slightly down from the day before. | |
| Don Darch, 65, and Nesta Darch, 63, from Pontypridd with their grandchildren Berwyn and Heti | |
| People told BBC Wales of their concerns over Covid during the winter months. | |
| Lee Coburn, 46, from the Rhondda, lost his father Terry in March to Covid. | |
| 'I'm a bit apprehensive, the reason being I do have an elderly mum who's high at risk," he said. "But also people need that time together with families, because it's been two years - so I think we could proceed with Christmas, but be cautious." | |
| Mr Coburn said he was worried for what was coming after Christmas: "because if people are going to be partying, not being cautious then there's a massive wave going to hit us just after Christmas in January, and we'll be all in lockdown then until summertime like last year." | |
| Nesta Darch, 63, Pontypridd, said she would "like to see perhaps more mandatory mask-wearing". | |
| "You mention it to the staff in the shops and they say we have no legal requirement to make people wear masks", she said. | |
| Her husband Don said his family take lateral flow tests "religiously". | |
| "We do them - my children are all teachers, I've got my 85-year-old mam who's housebound," he said. "But the reliability of them, I'm not so sure. It's better than nothing, they do highlight some cases but I don't think you can 100% rely on lateral flow tests." | |
| Mr Drakeford said there was still a lot that is not known about the variant, or how severe an illness it can cause. | |
| But he expressed fears the speed of transmission could infect large numbers of people, leading to an increase in hospital admissions. | |
| He said ministers would act early if data shows the variant is causing significant problems. | He said ministers would act early if data shows the variant is causing significant problems. |
| But the first minister said he could not give a "precise sense of what exactly would trigger action". | But the first minister said he could not give a "precise sense of what exactly would trigger action". |
| Meanwhile new guidance for visiting in care homes and hospitals is to be issued. | Meanwhile new guidance for visiting in care homes and hospitals is to be issued. |
| "We want to do all we can to support visiting where it is safe to do so but, if we see a new wave of cases, some strengthened measures to protect patients and residents may be needed", he said. | "We want to do all we can to support visiting where it is safe to do so but, if we see a new wave of cases, some strengthened measures to protect patients and residents may be needed", he said. |
| People should do 'the simple things' to keep us on track for Christmas, says @PrifWeinidog pic.twitter.com/jEFVHG4cIK | |
| Mark Drakeford refused to confirm or deny a report in political blog Guido Fawkes that claimed he had called for a lockdown between Christmas and New Year. | |
| He said he would not be drawn into "distorted accounts" of a meeting he had with the other UK nations this week. | |
| The account of the meeting was a "gross violation of the rules under which those meetings are conducted", he said. | |
| He suggested the motivation for whoever spoke to the blog "was simply to cause a distraction from the many, many difficulties that the UK government has experienced this week". | |
| Welsh Conservative health spokesman Russell George said the Welsh government had taken the "right approach" to the Omicron variant by not announcing any major new restrictions on Friday. | |
| "I don't think any of us want to see restrictions imposed on lives, particularly at the Christmas period," he said. | |
| Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price backed Mr Drakeford's decision to hold weekly-reviews of the Covid rules. | |
| He also supported Welsh government requests for more financial support from the UK government if tighter restrictions were to be introduced. |