Latest Welsh Government coronavirus updates

Latest updates from the Welsh Government, issued yesterday, are

• Health Minister Vaughan Gething has today confirmed financial support of £60,000 will be provided to an eligible beneficiary of frontline staff working in the NHS and social care, if they die in service as a result of Covid-19.
• The scheme will see eligible beneficiaries receive a one off sum of £60,000 and will apply particularly to those working in frontline roles and locations where personal care is provided to individuals who may have contracted coronavirus.
• The scheme is non-contributory and there are no additional costs to employers. The payment will be made in addition to any existing benefits already earned through existing pension scheme membership.
• https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-death-service-scheme-nhs-and-social-care-frontline-workers

• Swansea University has successfully won funding to reduce the time it takes to sanitise ambulances after carrying a suspected Covid-19 positive patient.
• Students from the university are helping slash the time it takes to clean an ambulance from 45 minutes to under 20 minutes
• https://gov.wales/swansea-university-helping-fight-coronavirus-by-getting-ambulances-back-on-the-road-in-rapid-time
• A series of coronavirus related statistics have been published by the Welsh Government covering:
• Tourism
• Education and skills
• Health and social care
• https://gov.wales/coronavirus-covid-19-related-statistics-and-research
• A quick guide to public rights of way and access land closures is available at https://gov.wales/public-rights-way-and-access-land-closures
• Public Health Wales has today reported a further 203 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of cases to 9,280.
• Very sadly, it has also recorded a further eight deaths of people with confirmed coronavirus in Wales. The number of deaths recorded by Public Health Wales now stands at 796.
• The First Minister will be taking part in a one minute’s silence at 11am tomorrow, which is International Workers’ Memorial Day, to remember all those who have died in the pandemic and pay respect to all those caring for others.
• Further information about the minute’s silence is available at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/international-workers-memorial-day-iwmd 

Where to find the latest information

• Public Health Wales provides a daily update about the number of cases of coronavirus in Wales. It is available at: https://phw.nhs.wales/news/public-health-wales-statement-on-novel-coronavirus-outbreak/
• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Queries about support for businesses, including about eligibility for the Economic Resilience Fund? Visit the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/
• If you can help the effort to produce PPE in Wales please visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/news-and-blogs/news/provision-critical-equipment-and-personal-protection-equipment-ppe
• The Welsh Government holds a daily media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and routinely supported by a BSL translator. They will be held at 12.30pm every week day. They are live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel and are broadcast live on BBC One Wales and S4C.
• The First Minister held today’s press conference – you can watch it again at: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1254735064207814657