Welsh Government's coronavirus update

Latest coronavirus update from the Welsh Government (dated yesterday) is: 

•  First Minister Mark Drakeford has led tributes to all those who have died during the pandemic in Wales and the enormous contribution from people across the nation as Wales today marks the first anniversary of the pandemic.
• Statement in Plenary: https://record.assembly.wales/Plenary/11187#A65549
• National Commemorative Event: https://gov.wales/national-coronavirus-commemorative-event
• Health Minister Vaughan Gething has published an update about Wales’ Vaccination Strategy: https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-vaccination-strategy-update-0
• Vaccination Equity Strategy: https://gov.wales/covid-19-vaccination-equity-strategy
• Up to £30m to support Wales’ diverse culture sector through the ongoing pandemic has been announced by Welsh Government in a second round of the Cultural Recovery Fund.
• The fund will be delivered jointly by Welsh Government, the Arts Council of Wales and local authorities.
• https://gov.wales/cultural-recovery-fund-extended
• Update about field hospitals: https://gov.wales/written-statement-review-field-hospital-phase-2 

Coronavirus in numbers

• The latest figures published by Public Health Wales today show there have been 127 newly-reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 208,119 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.
• There were no deaths reported by Public Health Wales today. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 5,488.
• These figures are updated daily at: https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

• The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is being published every weekday by Public Health Wales.
• The latest figures show 1,288,250 people have received their first dose.
• And 353,347 people have received two doses of the vaccine.
• https://public.tableau.com/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection#!/vizhome/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary
• If you think you’ve been missed off the vaccine appointment list: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed
• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today published statistics on provisional weekly deaths, including deaths involving Covid-19 for the week ending 12 March 2021.
• The cumulative number of deaths involving Covid-19 occurring in Welsh residents up to 12 March 2021 was 7,731.
• Of these, there were provisionally 68 deaths involving Covid-19 registered in Welsh residents in the week ending 12 March. This was 35 fewer than the previous week. The number of registered deaths involving Covid has declined for eight successive weeks and is at its lowest level since late October.
• For the period 7 March 2020 to 12 March 2021, there were a total of 5,600 excess deaths (17%) above the five-year average.
• More deaths involving Covid were registered in the second wave of the pandemic than the first.
• The excess death rate for Wales for the pandemic period to date was lower in Wales than in England.
• For the latest week, both England and Wales saw deaths below the five-year average.
• The numbers reported by ONS are different from those from Public Health Wales because of different reporting methods and timing.
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest 

What to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus

• The symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change in smell or taste.
• If you have symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, you must self-isolate at home for 10 days from when your symptoms started.
• Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation-stay-home-guidance-households-possible-coronavirus
• Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
• You must have a test on day one and day eight if you have been told to self-isolate by NHS Wales Test Trace Protect.
• You can book a test at https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test
• You should continue to isolate while waiting for a test result.
• Got a question about what to do if you’ve got coronavirus? Visit https://gov.wales/self-isolation-stay-home-guidance-households-possible-coronavirus 

Where to find the latest information

• Wales is at alert level four. A stay local rule is in place. A summary of what to do is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4-summary
• More information about the national measures is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4 and the roadmap in and out of alert levels is at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-control-plan-alert-levels-wales

• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• Questions about Covid-19 vaccines? Visit: https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-information/ and https://gov.wales/vaccine-coronavirus
• Want to join Wales’ vaccination team? https://gov.wales/join-covid-19-vaccination-team
• If you think you’ve been missed off the vaccine appointment list: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination-if-you-think-you-have-been-missed
• Information about support for businesses is available at the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/ 

Town Hall lit up in tribute to those who have died from Covid-19

 

* Llangollen Town Hall is one of the buildings in Llangollen and Wrexham lit up this evening by a team of technicians from locally-based Orb Sound and Lighting on the National Day of Reflection  in tribute to those who have died from Covid-19.  The castle was also lit up tonight.

Eisteddfod journalist among those remembered today

* The late Kevin Hughes with his wife Sally. 

Among those who died from Covid-19 and will be commemorated today on the anniversary of the first lockdown will be a journalist who covered the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod for a number of years.

Kevin Hughes, who was also a Flintshire county councillor, died at the Wrexham Maelor Hospital after a long battle against Covid-19 in January aged 63.

His death followed that of his mother, June Margaret Hughes, 89, also from the virus on November 25 at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Kevin had visited her briefly in PPE and accepted that going to the hospital may have caused him to contract the disease but he added: “I don't know how I got it, whether it was visiting my mum, it might have been in the shop or in the garage. I just don't know.”

He was born in Chester and attended Queen’s Park High School, Handbridge, and leaves a wife, Sally, with whom he celebrated 40 years of marriage three years ago, sons Chris, Steve and Andy, and seven grandchildren.

In a varied career Kevin Joined Cheshire Constabulary and was a police diver during his service and after his retirement worked for a time as head diver at the Blue Planet Aquarium, at Cheshire Oaks.

He moved into journalism with the Chester Chronicle and rose to be editor of the Flintshire Chronicle before his retirement and in recent years has worked for North Wales-based public relations company Ceidiog Communication with whom he helped to cover the Llangollen Eisteddfod for a number of seasons until just a few years ago. 

He represented Gwernymynydd as an active and committed Flintshire County Councillor.

He was a former colleague of llanblogger journalist Phil Robinson, both at Ceidiog Communication and previously when they worked together on the Ellesmere Port Pioneer newspaper in Cheshire.

Paying tribute in January Phil said: "The small north Wales journalistic community has lost one of its most outstanding members which it could ill afford to do. 

"Kevin, who I was privileged to know for 20 years, was a big man - in stature, talent and heart."  

Bell will toll at midday for those who died from coronavirus

* The bell will toll at St Collen's Church at midday for all those who have died from coronanvirus. 

Following the national minute's silence at midday today (Tuesday) a bell will be tolled at St Collen's Church to commemorate those who have died with coronavirus, marking one year since the first lockdown began.

The First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford will take part in the National Coronavirus Commemorative Event held at 5.15pm today.

The event will bring the nation together to pay our respects to those we’ve lost and express our sympathy to those who are grieving for their loved ones.

It will be a chance to reflect on how the pandemic has had a profound impact on every community in Wales and celebrate how people in those communities have sustained each other.

The occasion will be an opportunity to express our thanks to our health workers and carers, who have done so much to care for those who have been ill and those who have lost their lives.

Ifor ap Glyn, the National Poet of Wales. will read a poem written especially for the Commemoration and the Morriston Hospital Emergency Department Choir have recorded a special performance for the event.

The First Minister will also take part in the minute silence at midday to remember those who have died over the last year.

Mr Drakeford said: “Over the last 12 months, the pandemic has turned all our lives upside down.

“Too many families have lost loved ones and close friends and so many people haven’t had a chance to say goodbye because of all the changes coronavirus has meant to our lives.

“It’s really important we have an opportunity to come together to reflect on the last year and to unite to support each other through this tough time.”

The National Coronavirus Commemorative Event will presented by Huw Edwards and broadcast at 5.15pm on BBC One Wales and S4C.

* On behalf of Denbighshire County Council, the Chairman Cllr Meirick Lloyd Davies and the Leader, Cllr Hugh Evans are thanking residents for their efforts on the anniversary of the first UK-wide lockdown

Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, Leader of the Council, said: “It has been a very difficult 12 months since the first UK national lockdown was introduced and in the last year all areas of our society have been impacted.

“Many people have been affected by coronavirus and our thoughts and condolences go to those families who have lost loved ones.

“Denbighshire residents are to be commended for their huge effort to stop the spread of the virus by following regulations and guidelines.  Your sacrifices have helped reduce the impact in our communities and has helped save lives.

“I would also like to thank frontline workers who have been protecting and supporting residents, those involved in administering the vaccine, our public service partners who have been working closely with us to keep people safe, as well everyone who has worked throughout the pandemic providing essential services in Denbighshire.

“There have been a large number of volunteers who have come together in our communities during the pandemic to help our most vulnerable residents, with things such as shopping and prescription collection and they also deserve our thanks for their hard work.

“Throughout this period the Council has continued to work for our residents, providing services under difficult circumstances and this has included new ways of working and adapting.

“It has been a difficult time for children as well as parents, carers and staff at our schools. As pupils return to face-to-face learning it is important we continue to do all we can to ensure schools stay open. This includes following the regulations, which include not mixing outside of school or at the school gates when picking up or dropping off children.

“Lockdown has had a huge impact on businesses in Denbighshire and we have been working with the Welsh Government to ensure the available support reaches those that need it as quickly as possible. We will continue to ensure we are doing all we can to support businesses in Denbighshire as they start to re-open.

“The vaccine rollout has been a real success and is reducing transmission of the virus and we hope over the coming weeks and months we can see further lifting of restrictions. But in the meantime it’s vital we all continue to follow regulations to make sure transmission of the virus remains low to allow life to start returning to normal.”

County councillor to stand for police commissioner

* Mark Young is to stand for North Wales PCC.

A well-known Denbighshire county councillor has announced he is to stand as an independent candidate in the May 6 election for North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner.

Mark Young, who represents Denbigh and is the council's lead member for Safer Communities, Public Protection and Domestic abuse and chairs the Safer North Wales Partnership Board.

The father of one, who owns the Denbigh Chocolate Shop, is also is chair of a youth charity and a board member of the vale of Clwyd branch of the mental health charity MIND.

Back in 2015 he hit the national headlines when he patrolled the town centre of Denbigh on three consecutive nights after a spate of burglaries and vandalism.

As a result of his campaign, the then police and crime commissioner, Winston Roddick, requested a meeting with him to discuss how they could keep Denbigh safe.

It led to the setting up of a new partnership with North Wales Police which had a positive impact in reducing crime in the town.

Cllr Young said: “After working with the present commissioner, Arfon Jones, for a number of years, it would be an immense privilege to take on this role and carry on his positive work .

“As an independent police and crime commissioner, I would be able to serve the people unlike other candidates who would have to serve their political masters in Cardiff or Westminster – or both.

“I am the candidate who can keep the political parties out of running North Wales Police.

“Rather than being subservient to vested political interests, I will always put the people of North Wales first.”

His manifesto pledges include: 

• Continue combating county lines drugs gangs, modern slavery and child exploitation whilst effectively working with neighbouring Police Forces in England and Wales

• Fighting cybercrime/fraud as a priority to support and keep children safe online – this will be more successful if we adopt a National approach

• Fully supporting visible community policing and being a visible and approachable police and crime commissioner

• Visiting and engaging with police officers of all levels and ranks to ensure North Wales Police is an effective and efficient force as well as appreciated

• Working with key partners to provide support for vulnerable people with mental health issues – Whilst appreciating the positive ongoing work in this area, I would like to see more resources and a long term commitment in place

• Committing to supporting and looking after the wellbeing of North Wales Police staff and ensuring that they feel valued especially with the increased challenging workload during covid-19

• Ensuring that victims of crime are fully supported and empowered to “speak up” and feel that justice has been delivered for them

• Encouraging improved equality and diversity in North Wales Police as it should reflect the community it wishes to serve

• Setting up and Chairing a North Wales Youth Engagement Group to give young people a voice and understand their concerns and views

• Trial Electric E bikes as a resource for officers allowing them to get to places which are difficult to get to in patrol cars. This will allow targeting of rural crime and at the same time offering more engagement with local communities.

Cllr Young added: “I have the knowledge, the understanding, the energy and the determination to be the next police and crime commissioner.

“I absolutely understand the role which is to support and professionally challenge when needed to get the best outcome for our communities.

“I will scrutinise the work of the force and hold the Chief Constable to account to ensure that North Wales Police operates at the optimum level to keep our communities safe across North Wales."

Former mayor plants first of two community orchards

* Planting the new Pengwern orchard are, from left, Heulwen, chair of the Friends of Pengwern Committee; Cllr and Mrs Cheminais, Mayor and Mayoress of Llangollen; Emma from Denbighshire County Council's Countryside Services, Heather  from Denbighshire County Council's Community Housing Greenspace Development; Cllr Jon Haddy.

Llangollen's immediate past mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy, has used part of his Mayor's Charity Fund to finance the creation of two community orchards in Pengwern Park and the new Wenffrwd Pocket Park. 

The intention is that once the trees crop the apples are picked and used by the people who use both parks.

He has sourced a selection of 10 Welsh heritage varieties of apple trees to be planted at each site and the Pengwern Park orchard was planted yesterday (Monday).

The current Mayor and Mayoress of Llangollen, Cllr Austin and Mrs Jane Cheminais, cut the first sod.

£100m plan to help health and care recover from Covid

Health Minister Vaughan Gething has today published a plan, supported by an initial £100m funding, to help the health and care system in Wales to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Health and Social Care in Wales COVID 19: Looking Forward looks at the following key aspects of recovery:

• Reducing health inequalities to achieve a fairer Wales
• Building more responsive primary and community care
• Creating supportive mental health services
• More effective and efficient hospital services
• Better working between health and social services
• Supporting and building a resilient workforce
• Providing accessible digital support

Mr Gething said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our health and social care system, patients and staff. As we emerge from the most serious stage of the pandemic, we are now in a position to set out how we can start to recover.

“This plan sets out the broad principles of recovery and more detailed actions will follow. I am making available an initial £100m now to support the first steps, but it is clear more resources will be needed to make a full recovery.

“It will be a long journey, but it is also an opportunity to transform how we deliver health and care services in the future, and to tackle the health inequalities in our society that the pandemic has made even more evident.

“That is why, alongside our recovery plan, I am also pleased to announce our National Clinical Framework, which sets out how we see NHS clinical services developing over the next decade.”

The National Clinical Framework is a commitment made in A Healthier Wales and describes how the strategic development of clinical services can make the NHS fit for the challenges of the 21st century. It responds to key aspects of the Parliamentary Review on the future of health and social care in Wales.

It is underpinned by the introduction of Quality Statements that set out in more detail the standards and outcomes we expect to see from particular clinical services. The first two quality statements are for cancer and heart conditions, and replace the Cancer and Heart Condition Delivery Plans, which came to an end in December.

Railway's plight features on BBC Radio Wales

If it can put together a compelling enough case for external help with its current financial plight, its “very likely” that Llangollen Railway could be running again later this year.

That was the positive message from railway Trust chairman Peter Edwards when he was interviewed on BBC Radio Wales yesterday morning.

As llanblogger has been reporting, on March 1 the board of Llangollen Railway PLC asked its bank to call in receivers after it became insolvent to the tune of about £350,000 and could not legally continue trading.

A firm of liquidators was called in which immediately began the process of selling off the assets of the world-famous heritage attraction.

However, the railway's Trust, which is quite separate from the PLC and completely solvent, immediately declared its intention of taking over the running of the line and buying up as many of the assets as it could afford.

This rescue plan is dependent upon grants from outside bodies, such as Denbighshire County Council or the Welsh Government, and also the amount raised by a public appeal which yesterday stood at a healthy £43,000-plus.

In his radio interview with reporter Rob Thomas the Trust board’s new chairman Peter Edwards explained that the receivership had resulted from the PLC losing a “significant” amount of money over the past three years, with closure of the line due to Covid-19 coming as “the final straw”.

Liabilities, he said, were in excess of £250,000 but the Trust board was putting together a proposal to re-focus the railway’s vision and put it into a position where it could ask for financial assistance from external sources.

Asked by the reporter if the railway was likely to be carrying passengers again this year, Mr Edwards said: “Depending on us being able to put together a compelling enough proposal, later on this year it is very likely we will be running trains.”

It has been estimated that Llangollen Railway contributes as much as £8m to the wider tourism economy.

And Chris Frost, chair of North Wales Tourism, said the whole of the town’s economy – it’s shops, restaurants and other businesses - relies upon it.

He added: “It is imperative that strategic partners come together and find the funding to keep Llangollen Railway on track.”

The railway has around 200 volunteers and Aled Rhys, who gives his time as an unpaid signalman, told the interviewer that when they heard about the line’s financial crisis many of the volunteers were in tears.

But he added: “We have faith in the Trust board and we’re sure they will turn things around.”

·     * You can listen to the BBC Radio Wales sequence on: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000tchp

"Fantastic" response reported to railway's rescue appeal

The public appeal to shunt Llangollen Railway out of its deep financial trouble has shown a big upsurge in support.

On March 1 the board of Llangollen Railway PLC asked its bank to call in receivers after it became insolvent to the tune of about £350,000 and could not legally continue trading.

A firm of liquidators was called in which immediately began the process of selling off the assets of the world-famous heritage attraction.

However, the railway's Trust, which is quite separate from the PLC and completely solvent, declared its intention of taking over the running of the line and buying up as many of the assets as it could afford.

Since the crisis was revealed at the start of the month scores of people have been contributing to a public appeal which had raised £10,000 in a matter of days.

The railway's still-active Facebook page posted an update on donations yesterday and describes the public response as "fantastic".

It says: "Fantastic to see our appeal to raise funds for the LR Trust's efforts to rescue the railway topped £40K this morning with nearly 1,000 donations. 

"Thank you to everyone for their fantastic support but let's keep going! https://llangollenrailway.enthuse.com/cf/covid-19-appeal

The donations button figure at 1.15pm on Saturday was almost £41,000, which was up from £24,000 in early March with pledges of financial support still coming in.

llanblogger reader spots singing star sailing the canal

* Michael Ball gives the thumbs-up to Phil Meyer as he glides by on the canal.

Sharp-eyed llanblogger reader Phil Meyers snapped this picture of singing star Michael Ball aboard a narrow boat heading along the Llangollen Canal yesterday (Friday) afternoon.

Giving Phil the thumbs-up, he told him he was on his way to film for a TV show at the world famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

Michael made his debut at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod - where Phil has been a long-standing volunteer - back in 2004. 

Welsh Government unveils its new transport plan

A pledge to increase the number of people using public transport, walking and cycling sits at the heart of the Welsh Governments new Transport Strategy.

The new strategy – the result of a major consultation over the last year - aims to encourage people out of their cars, with a new target for 45% of journeys to be by sustainable means across Wales by 2045, up from 32% currently.

Llwybr Newydd – New Path commits to reducing transport emissions as part of efforts to tackle the climate emergency. Currently transport makes up 17% of Wales’ carbon emissions.

The strategy comes as more than £210m is being invested across Wales in 2021/22.

More than £115m is being allocated to local authorities to spend on transport projects that will support the commitments in Llwybr Newydd.

Another investment will see £25m to support the Wrexham Gateway project, creating better connected bus and rail transport and redevelopment of the area around Wrexham General.

During 2021/22 £75m will be spent on active travel, an increase from £5m at the start of this Welsh Government term.

Ken Skates, Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, said: “Llwybr Newydd is a landmark moment and will help to fundamentally re-shape transport in Wales.  It will encourage new and greener infrastructure and change the way we make decisions about investment in transport right across the country.

“The climate emergency is very real and it means we must take urgent action to reduce the carbon footprint of the transport system in Wales. That’s why we have set bold new targets for more sustainable transport forms like walking, cycling and public transport.  This will help reduce reliance on the car by making the sustainable alternatives more appealing.

“Doing this means investing in high quality public transport alternatives and that’s why we are providing more than £210m in transport schemes that will contribute to ambitions in our new plan.

“We’ve made a good start, with major investment in things like Metro, but we know we need to go further and faster and Llwybr Newydd sets us on the path to a transport system genuinely fit for future generations.”

As part of the £115m investment being announced in local authority funding, nearly £47m is being spent on active travel schemes, helping develop routes that support walking and cycling.

A further £6.4m is being committed through the Safe Routes in Communities fund, with a particular focus on school routes. Another £20m will be confirmed through the Active Travel Fund later in the financial year, taking the total dedicated active travel spend to £75m – up from £5m at the start of this Senedd term.

The Road Safety Capital grant is worth £5.1m and will include funding to support training initiatives to improve safety for cyclists.

The Local Transport Fund will commit £28.9m to projects to support Wales’ transport network. Applications were assessed against the sustainable transport hierarchy set out in Llwybr Newydd, with emphasis given to improving public transport reliability and journey times.

A further £9m has been allocated to local authorities to move to zero emission vehicles and to roll-out charging infrastructure. Next week the Welsh Government will also publish its Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy to boost confidence for drivers wanting to use electric vehicles.

The Roads Resilience Fund, worth £17.4m, is in place to address disruptions caused by severe weather to the highway network, especially to the public transport network.

Another £3m is being committed to the North Wales Metro, helping to create an accessible, integrated transport system for people in the region.

Latest Citizens Advice column

Here is the March column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice: 

Q: We’ve had a lot of issues receiving our post recently and haven’t seen our usual postie around in a little while. I know that a couple of Christmas cards I sent in December still haven’t been received. And some of my neighbours who are shielding, and completely reliant on shopping online, have had some of their deliveries delayed too. Is there anything I can do? 

A: You’re not alone, we know posties are currently working very hard, but we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people coming to us for advice about post and parcel issues. 

Letters 

If you haven’t received any letters in your post, think about if there’s anything you were expecting like bills that might be due soon.  If you’re missing a bill you could check your account online to see how else you could pay. Lots of businesses offer online chat, email and phone as a way to contact them. 

If you’re worried about missing letters about any benefits you receive you can contact the Department for Work and Pensions on the number given on any previous letters you’ve had. If you have questions about Universal Credit and don’t have a digital account, you can call the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644. 

You can check Royal Mail’s website for updates on areas which may be experiencing delays. 

Parcels

If you bought something from a business to be delivered, it’s the seller’s responsibility to make sure the item is delivered to you. 

If the seller used a courier, they should chase the courier to find out what’s happened to your order - it’s not your responsibility. 

Check the delivery address you gave the seller. Then contact them and ask where your order is. 

If the seller claims they've delivered it or don't know where it is, you can ask for a redelivery. You might be able to get a refund in some circumstances where the delivery time was essential and you let the trader know ahead of time.  

Under the Consumer Rights Act, you can ask the seller to deliver the item again if the item wasn’t delivered either:

●     by an agreed date

●     within a reasonable time - usually within 30 days.

If the new delivery fails to come within a reasonable time you can ask the trader for a refund.

If you ordered something from a private seller or if you think a seller had broken the law by refusing to deliver an item, you can contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline for help.

Latest vaccination update from Llangollen Health Centre

Llangollen Health Centre has this evening issued its latest Covid vaccination update, which says:

"Tomorrow we will start contacting patients in Group 7 (those aged 60 – 64 years) and the first set of patients who are due their second dose (those who had their first dose week commencing 4th January). We have sufficient appointment capacity and vaccine supply to complete vaccinating everyone in these two groups by the end of Saturday 27th March.;

"Issues with vaccine supply have been in the news again recently. It is unclear at the moment how this will affect us and the target to vaccinate groups 1-9 by mid-April but we have been assured that the health board is working hard to mitigate this. 

"We have been told that the supply for second doses is secure so please don’t worry if you are due your second dose over the next few weeks.

"I will give a further update next week. Tessa, Practice Manager."

Welsh Government updates its Covid controls

The Welsh Government has today updated its Coronavirus Control Plan, setting out how and when more people and businesses will be able to resume their activities in the safest possible way.

In December, the First Minister published the Coronavirus Control Plan: Alert Levels for Wales, which set out how the national measures would be introduced in a more predictable way based on a framework of four alert levels.

The plan has been updated to take account of Wales’ vaccination programme and the emergence of the highly-infectious Kent variant of the virus, which is now dominant throughout Wales. 

It also reflects the risk of new, potentially vaccine-resistant variants of coronavirus being imported into Wales from people holidaying and travelling overseas.

The new plan will support the Welsh Government to continue to relax restrictions while the public health situation continues to remain positive – rates have fallen significantly across Wales thanks to all the hard work and sacrifices made by people during the winter months. It sets out a range of indictors the Welsh Government will analyse and assess, alongside professional expert advice and intelligence from local partners, to determine how restrictions are relaxed.

But if there are strong signs of a growth in infections, it also sets out how the relaxations may need to be slowed, paused or in the worst case, reversed.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “The coronavirus pandemic has turned all our lives upside down. Over the last 12 months, everyone in Wales has made sacrifices to help protect themselves and their families and help bring coronavirus under control.

“This is a cruel virus – far too many families have lost loved ones, and unfortunately, we know that many more people will fall seriously ill and sadly will die before the pandemic is over. But the way people and communities have pulled together across Wales, and followed the rules, has undoubtedly saved many more lives. 

“We are now entering a critical phase in the pandemic. We can see light at the end of the tunnel as we approach the end of a long and hard second wave, thanks to the amazing efforts of scientists and researchers across the world to develop effective vaccines. Our amazing vaccination programme has made vaccines available to people in the most at-risk groups at incredible speed.”

More than 1.2m people in Wales have said yes to vaccination and have received their first dose; more than 300,000 people have completed the two-dose course. The aim is to offer the first nine priority groups of adults vaccination by mid-April and all eligible adults a first dose by the end of July.

Early results about the effectiveness of the vaccines are promising in terms of their effect in both preventing severe disease and transmission. But, until the vaccination programme is more advanced, a large proportion of the population will remain vulnerable to infection.

The uncertainty and unpredictability of the Kent variant means that Ministers are adopting a more cautious approach to coming out of lockdown.

The updated Coronavirus Control Plan sets out the following phased steps for moving from alert level four into alert level three:

From Monday 22 March:

• First phased opening of non-essential retail – restrictions on the sale of items will be lifted for shops, which are currently open;
• Garden centres re-open.

From Saturday 27 March:

Next week, Ministers will confirm if the conditions allow for the following relaxations to come into force:

• Stay local requirement lifted, moving Wales into alert level three;
• First phased opening of the tourism sector as self-contained accommodation opens;
• Organised outdoor children’s activities resume;
• Limited opening of outdoor areas of some historic places and gardens;
• Libraries re-open.

1 April review cycle

From 12 April (if conditions allow):

• Full return to schools, colleges and other education;
• All shops to open;
• Close contact services to open.

22 April review cycle

The following areas will be considered as part of the 22 April review, if the public health situation continues to remain positive and vaccination rates continue to increase: 

• Gyms, leisure and fitness facilities;
• Outdoor attractions;
• Outdoor hospitality;
• Weddings;
• Community centres;
• Organised activities (30 outdoors, 15 indoors);
• Extended households.

Mark Drakeford added: “Just as we are rolling out vaccination, we are facing a very different virus in Wales today. The highly-infectious Kent variant is now dominant in all parts of Wales.

“This means the protective behaviours we have all learned to adopt are even more important than ever – getting tested and isolating when we have symptoms; keeping our distance from others; not mixing indoors; avoiding crowds; washing our hands regularly and wearing face coverings.

“The pandemic is not over – spring and summer give us hope of more freedom, as rates of infection fall and more people are vaccinated.

“But we must be need to careful – we can’t rush the process of relaxing restrictions and risk a resurgence of the virus.

"We will revisit this plan after vaccination has been offered to all eligible adults – currently scheduled for the end of July – when more evidence and data about its impact will be available."