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Saturday, January 8, 2022

Latest Covid-19 updates from Welsh Government

Latest Covid-19 update from the Welsh Government (dated yesterday) is:

  • The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has re-published its statistics on provisional weekly deaths, including deaths involving Covid-19, for the week ending 24 December 2021. 

Coronavirus in numbers

  • The latest figures published by Public Health Wales show there were 7,915 newly-reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 706,873 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.
  • The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is published every weekday by Public Health Wales.
    • The latest figures show 2,494,287 people have received their first dose.

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 up to 10 days from when your symptoms started.
  • Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation

Where to find the latest information

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Friday, January 7, 2022

Drakeford says Covid Alert Level 2 will stay in place

First Minister Mark Drakeford (pictured) has asked people to keep taking steps to protect each other and keep Wales safe from the wave of omicron cases.

He has confirmed alert level 2 measures will stay in place in Wales following the outcome of the latest regulations review.

Cases of coronavirus have risen sharply to their highest ever levels as the omicron wave has surged across Wales in the post-Christmas period. The latest figures show there are more than 2,200 cases per 100,000 people in Wales.

Mr Drakeford said: “The omicron wave means we are all facing a difficult month ahead of us. We are already seeing extremely high case rates in communities and we must be prepared for cases to rise even higher, just as they have elsewhere in the UK.

“This variant may not be as severe as we had initially feared but the speed at which it is travelling and its infectiousness continue to be cause for concern.

“That makes it vital that we all take action to keep each other safe. The things which have helped to protect us all throughout the pandemic will continue to protect us now.

“This includes getting vaccinated and making your booster a priority, limiting the number of people you meet who you don’t live with, and taking a lateral flow test before going out and mixing with others.

“Together, we will keep each other safe and we will keep Wales safe.”

At alert level 2 people must:

  • Wear a face covering (unless there is a reasonable excuse not to wear one) in all indoor public places, including when not seated in a pub, café or restaurant.
  • Meet no more than five other people at a café, restaurant, pub or other public premises (unless with their household of a larger number). This applies to both outdoor and indoor areas of the premises.
  • Work from home if they can.
  • Self-isolate for seven days if they test positive for Covid-19. People should take a lateral flow test on day six and day seven. If either test is positive they should remain in isolation until two negative lateral flow tests or after day 10, whichever is sooner.
  • Not take part in an organised event indoors of more than 30 people or outdoors for more than 50 people. All organised events must be organised by a responsible body and have a risk assessment.

People are also being encouraged to follow strengthened guidance to help them stay safe at home, this includes limiting the number of people they meet who they don’t live with, to flow before you go by taking a lateral flow test before going out, meeting people outdoors wherever possible and making sure indoor spaces are well ventilated.

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Thursday, January 6, 2022

Company takes over recycling sites - but not Llangollen


* The running of the 'pop-up' waste site at the Pavilion car park will not be taken over by Bryson Recycling.

A social enterprise company has landed the contract to manage three household recycling centres in Denbighshire - but not including the 'pop-up' site in Llangollen.

As part of the same seven-year contract Bryson Recycling will also be running five sites in Conwy County Borough.

The company says it aims to increase recycling rates, introduce more reuse activities and implement their local circular economy approach to recycling.

The Denbighshire sites it will be running are those at Lon Parcwr in Ruthin, Colomendy in Denbigh and Marsh Road, Rhyl.

Bryson told llanblogger the contract does not include the sites at Llangollen Pavilion car park and Green Lane car park, Corwen which a spokesperson said were "outside the scope of the tender".

Bryson have been working with Conwy County Borough Council since 2014 when they won a contract to manage their household recycling centres, and in 2020 they introduced a garden waste collection service for their local residents. 

The company says this new contract, which is due to commence on April 1st 2022, will result in them significantly increasing their operation in North Wales.

General manager Gareth Walsh said “We are extremely pleased to be working in partnership with both councils and are looking forward to introducing our social enterprise approach to recycling across all five sites with the aim of increasing recycling and reuse whilst providing an excellent service to local residents. We are also keen to look an innovative ways to engage and work with local communities.”  

Councillor Brian Jones, lead member for Waste, Transport and the Environment at Denbighshire County Council, said: “Working together with Conwy Council to appoint a single operator has enabled us to provide value for money for our residents as the management costs have reduced. 

"We know the recycling centres are very popular with our residents and we receive many compliments about the staff that work there.  

"The site staff, currently managed by CAD Recycling Ltd, will transfer to the new operator, meaning residents will still receive the same high standard of service they are used to, but will also benefit from new investment in our facilities.   

"I’m delighted to see that the new contract also includes more green initiatives, such as availability of free compost to site users and support of reuse projects within our communities.”

* To find out more about Bryson Recycling visit www.brysonrecycling.org

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Coronavirus update from Welsh Government

Latest Covid-19 update from the Welsh Government (dated yesterday) is: 

·         Health Minister Eluned Morgan has set out changes to the testing regime – in some cases lateral flow tests will be used instead of PCR tests to maximise PCR testing capacity as demand is very high: https://gov.wales/written-statement-prioritising-pcr-testing

o   Lateral flow testing for people without symptoms: https://gov.wales/lateral-flow-testing-people-without-symptoms 

·         More than £100m of new funding will help make schools and colleges Covid-secure: https://gov.wales/over-100m-new-funding-will-help-make-schools-and-colleges-covid-secure

·         Education Minister Jeremy Miles has published a written statement about the return to school and college: https://gov.wales/written-statement-return-schools-and-colleges

o   School operations guidance: https://gov.wales/school-operations-coronavirus

o   Schools – coronavirus guidance: https://gov.wales/schools-coronavirus-guidance

o   Coronavirus (asymptomatic) testing in schools, further education and childcare settings: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-asymptomatic-testing-school-further-education-and-childcare-settings

·         Changes to the rules on international travel: https://gov.wales/written-statement-international-travel-changes-6

·         The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today published statistics on provisional weekly deaths, including deaths involving Covid-19, for the week ending 24 December 2021. 

o   There have been 9,169 deaths involving Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

o   Of these, 33 were registered in the latest week. This was 4% of all deaths, and 18 fewer than the previous week.

o   The numbers reported by ONS are different from those from Public Health Wales because of different reporting methods and timing. The ONS figures are higher because they include some extra cases.

o   https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest 

Coronavirus in numbers

·         The latest figures published by Public Health Wales show there were 21,279 newly-reported cases of coronavirus in a 48-hour period, bringing the total to 689,750 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.

o   There were 10 deaths reported by Public Health Wales in a 48-hour period. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 6,599.

o   These figures are updated daily at: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection/viz/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary   

·         The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is published every weekday by Public Health Wales.

o   The latest figures show 2,492,440 people have received their first dose.

o   2,307,957 people have had two doses of the vaccine.

o   To date, 1,667,192 people have had their booster dose of the vaccine.

o   https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection/viz/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

o   For more information about getting your Covid-19 vaccine: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination

o   Can you support the vaccination programme? More information for NHS staff and volunteers at: https://heiw.nhs.wales/jobs/nhs-wales-covid-19-vaccination-team-returning-healthcare-professionals/

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 up to 10 days from when your symptoms started.

·         Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation

o   You can book a test at https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test

o   You should continue to isolate while waiting for a test result. 

Where to find the latest information

·         Wales is at alert level two. More information is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2

o   Alert level two: frequently asked questions: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2-frequently-asked-questions

·         Our latest Coronavirus Control Plan, setting out the longer-term plan for Wales is at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-control-plan-autumn-and-winter-2021-update  

·         Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws

·         For more information about getting your Covid-19 vaccine: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination

·         Can you support the vaccination programme? More information for NHS staff and volunteers at: https://heiw.nhs.wales/jobs/nhs-wales-covid-19-vaccination-team-returning-healthcare-professionals/

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Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Area awakes to thin covering of snow

Llangollen awoke to a thin covering of snow this morning (Wednesday) as can be seen from these pictures of the castle and surrounding hills.



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£103m for schools and colleges to help with Covid recovery


 * Education Minister Jeremy Miles.

Schools and colleges are to receive £103 million in Welsh Government funding as learners return for the January term.

£50m will be provided via local authorities through the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. 

The funding will help schools carry out capital repair and improvement work, with a focus on health and safety measures, such as improving ventilation. 

The funding will also be used to support decarbonisation.

£45m of revenue funding will also help support school budgets, assisting schools as they continue to deal with the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and to prepare for the requirements of the new curriculum.

An additional £8m will be provided to further education colleges, to ensure learning can continue safely and ensure the most disadvantaged learners are not further impacted by the pandemic.

Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, said: “I know schools and colleges have faced a very difficult time and everyone across the workforce has worked incredibly hard to meet the challenges of the pandemic. This funding will further support our schools and colleges to keep settings as Covid-secure as possible.

“While we want to support the sector in recovering from the pandemic, we also have to make sure we continue to plan for the future, and help all education settings across Wales fulfil our collective goals of making Wales a net-zero nation.

“The funding announced today will help us to ensure sustainability across the sector – be that the environmental sustainability achieved through decarbonisation, or sustainability in provision.”

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Tuesday, January 4, 2022

This week's 2020 project works programme

 


This week's planned work programme for the town's 2020 project is:

  • set up the traffic management for phase 2 of the works
  • pave the junction of Bridge Street with Castle Street near the Royal Hotel
  • start the footpath excavation on Market Street south at the end near the car park
  • start excavating the new kerb line on Castle Street east near the junction to Oak Street, heading south toward the A5
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Search team rescues injured hiker above Horseshoe Falls


* Newsar's picture of the rescue yesterday.

Leader Live is reporting this morning (Tuesday) that a search and rescue team was called out to assist with an injured hiker in Llangollen.

The story says: "On Monday afternoon North Wales Police asked North East Wales Search and Rescue (NEWSAR) to assist a woman who had sustained a leg injury on a hill above the Horseshoe Falls.

"Team members quickly reached the site and provided pain relief and splinting, before using a rope system to protect the stretcher on the steeper parts of the journey down to the road.

"The woman was then conveyed to hospital by a private car."

* For the full story, see: https://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/19822428.llangollen-search-rescue-team-assists-injured-hiker/?fbclid=IwAR2sCU3y4FHBn0OtS6akblQZTud6Cc2jXcaN-q1sN5QWLbtNGJS_ExLRhTU


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Care homes on Covid "war footing" warns sector boss

* Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales.

Care homes in Wales are on a “war footing” because of desperate staff shortages caused by the skyrocketing Covid infection rate, according to a sector leader.

Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales, says the homes are facing their worst ever crisis with reports that 75% of staff were off work in some of them, either because they had contracted Coronavirus or were self-isolating.

The situation is so bad that as a last resort homes were introducing “firebreaks” to temporarily restrict visiting as the highly infectious Omicron variant tore across Wales, he claims.

Domiciliary care companies were also struggling badly and were often unable to provide the usual level of care.

Mr Kreft warned that the situation was only going to get worse before things got better.

So much so, that some care homes were likely to be forced to declare an NHS-style “critical incident” because they were unable to cope.

But he feared reinforcements might not be available because statutory organisations like local health boards and councils were also short of staff.

Mr Kreft said: “The scale of the challenge is one we have never faced before. It’s really, really tough out there.

“The First Minister reminded us in 2020 that the social care sector was in a fragile state before the pandemic because of its precarious finances and the shortage of staff.

“After two  year of this, the pressures  have been building up and now we’re facing a completely different challenge because the Omicron strain of Covid is so prevalent and so transmissible.

“As a result, we’re seeing problems we’ve not encountered before.

“Care Forum Wales members have been reporting being down by up to 75 per cent in terms of staffing shifts. We’re on a war footing.

“The social care workforce has been heroic right through this pandemic. It’s taken a pandemic for people to realise how essential these workers are – just in the same way as the NHS and other services.

“They are rising to the challenge but it’s incredibly difficult and it’s probably going to get much worse before it gets better.

“It’s quite possible that some care homes will have to call on the statutory services. There are plans in place and we have been working with Welsh Government and our colleagues  in health boards and local government.

“We may have to declare what the NHS would call a critical incident and in that case the only place you can go is the statutory agencies.

“The trouble is that we all know they are suffering like everybody else at the moment so whether there would be people available to alleviate the crisis, I don’t know.

“What we are talking about is making sure that people are as comfortable and as safe as they can be.

“This also applies to our domiciliary care workers who are facing similar challenges, so the visits to people’s homes may not be as long or as often as they might have been until we get through this.

“Nobody understands the importance of care home visiting better than those that run and work in care homes. It’s essential to people’s wellbeing and we’ve had decades of open house visiting without any appointments.

“The last two years  have been incredibly challenging and I think people need to understand that safe visiting currently also requires a staffing input which makes it even more difficult if you are short of staff and don’t have the capacity to ensure safe visiting.

“I don’t think there have been any situations where people haven’t been allowed to visit for people in very extreme circumstances.

“I think what we’ll see is firebreaks or temporary pauses in terms of visiting individual care homes.

“The responsibility is clearly with the registered manager and the organisation running each setting.

“All the registered providers have legal responsibilities towards their residents and they also have responsibility for the health and safety of their own staff.

“I think what we’ll see – and we’re starting to see it already  - is that visiting will be restricted for a period of days or a week or so because quite simply there will not be the staff to ensure safe visiting.

“The other added complication is that care homes are now unable to secure insurance against Covid-related claims so they really cannot afford to take any risks.

“But as soon as we and ensure safe visiting again, we will revert to that. That’s what people have been doing over Christmas and New Year. All I would ask from people is understanding because it is such a difficult time.”

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Businesses can check how much Covid-19 help they will get


* Economy Minister Vaughan Gething.

Businesses in Wales impacted by the rapid spread of the Omicron virus can now find out how much they can expect to receive in emergency financial support from the Welsh Government.

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething previously said £120m would be available for retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism business and their supply chains affected by the move to alert level 2 announced by the First Minister on Wednesday 22 December.

The support package includes funding from the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF), with an eligibility checker for this fund now live on the Business Wales website.

This will help businesses, including charities and social enterprises, to gauge how much they can expect to receive from the ERF.

Eligible businesses can apply for grants of between £2,500k - £25,000, with grants dependent on their size and number of employees.

The application window for the ERF will open in week commencing 17 January 2022, with payments starting to reach businesses within days. The application window will be open for two weeks.

Mr Gething, said: “We recognise that businesses are facing another hugely uncertain time due to the Omicron variant of Coronavirus. The eligibility checker which goes live today will help them forward plan during this challenging period.

“Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve provided over £2.6bn of support to businesses throughout Wales to help them manage their way through difficult circumstances. This latest £120 million package of support will further assist impacted businesses and we will get financial support to them as quickly as possible.”

Non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses in Wales will also receive support from the Non Domestic Rates (NDR) linked grant which will be administered by Local Authorities. Businesses will be entitled to a payment of £2,000, £4,000 or £6,000 depending on their rateable value.

Local Authorities will also be administrating a discretionary fund for sole traders, freelancers and taxi drivers and businesses that employee people but do not pay business rates.

The registration process for the NDR linked grants and application process for the discretionary fund will open week commencing the 10 January 2022.

* The ERF eligibility checker can be found at: https://fundchecker.businesswales.gov.wales/businesssupport

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Monday, January 3, 2022

There's now more time to get involved in Llangollen's People's Plan

You now have more time to have your say on Llangollen’s People’s Plan.

And to let everyone know how and by when they can get involved every household in the town is this week to receive a reminder through the post.

Known as Caru Llangollen, the plan has been prepared by a team of volunteers with the aim of providing a comprehensive vision for how our town should develop over the next four years. 

The suggestions in it are based on what the group Shape My Llangollen was told by the people of the area in a series of pre-pandemic public consultation sessions when they were asked about what they liked or didn't like about the town and how they reckon it could be improved.

These consultation sessions generated over 1,700 separate answers.

And, based on what they were told, the volunteers produced the final draft of the plan which contains around 90 proposals for improving Llangollen and its quality of life and work up until the year 2026. 

Shape My Llangollen is now in the process of putting the People's Plan back to the people for the last time before producing the final version.

This will then go before the Town Council - which set them the original task in 2018 - for approval and adoption a little later this year.

During the first week of December the group successfully completed their round of face-to-face comment gathering on the plan outside the Town Hall.

Originally the public had until December 31 to have their say on Caru Llangollen.

But feedback has been so enthusiastic that the group has now decided to extend the deadline for comments by another month, until January 31, so even more people can take part in the process. 

Hard copies of the plan are available in Llangollen library as well as online and to give the consultation an extra boost the group has now arranged for notes to be posted through every household in the town inviting comments to be made through written or emailed responses.   

Phil Robinson, who chairs SML, said: “We’ve been receiving some really valuable and positive comments on the plan to the extent where we decided to give people a bit more time to send in their comments. They now have until the end of January to tell us what they think about it.   

“This final round of public consultation is extremely important as it will be the last chance for people to have their say on this vital and far-reaching vision of the town’s future development.

"This is truly the People's Plan and something which has never been done before in Llangollen.

"I'd like to thank everyone who has taken the trouble to send in their comments so far and I invite as many people as possible to take part.”

* To look through the plan online - and turn it over page by page - go to: https://pubhtml5.com/gaql/ahfd

* Send in your comments by emailing the Town Clerk at: townclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk by January 31.

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Latest Covid-19 update from the Welsh Government

Latest update on Covid-19 from the Welsh Government, dated yesterday, is:

·         All health boards in Wales have confirmed today that they have offered a booster vaccination appointment to all eligible adults: https://gov.wales/all-eligible-adults-offered-booster-covid-19-vaccination-wales

·         Changes to self-isolation: https://gov.wales/self-isolation-changes

o   Self-isolation – what you should do: https://gov.wales/self-isolation

o   What to do if you have tested positive for Covid-19: https://gov.wales/contact-tracing-if-you-have-tested-positive

o   What to do if you are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive: https://gov.wales/contact-tracing-if-you-have-tested-positive

 

·         Wales is at alert level two: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2-summary

o   Frequently asked questions: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2-frequently-asked-questions

o   Guidance for the public: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2-guidance-public

o   Guidance for employers, businesses and organisations: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2-guidance-employers-businesses-and-organisations

·         Watch our short film: Reducing your risk of catching Covid – the Swiss Cheese Approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgQj2jAsVFE

 

·         Advice for schools and settings to support children and young people with higher clinical risk and clinically extremely vulnerable adults: https://gov.wales/children-and-young-people-higher-clinical-risk-and-clinically-extremely-vulnerable-adults-guidance

 

·         Testing of healthcare workers: https://gov.wales/covid-19-testing-healthcare-workers

Coronavirus in numbers

·         The latest figures published by Public Health Wales show there were 10,393 newly-reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 632,125 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.

o   There were 11 deaths reported by Public Health Wales. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 6,567.

o   These figures are updated daily at: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection/viz/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary   

·         The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is published every weekday by Public Health Wales.

o   The latest figures show 2,490,223 people have received their first dose.

o   2,302,282 people have had two doses of the vaccine.

o   To date, 1,626,146 people have had their booster dose of the vaccine.

o   https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection/viz/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary

o   For more information about getting your Covid-19 vaccine: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination

o   Can you support the vaccination programme? More information for NHS staff and volunteers at: https://heiw.nhs.wales/jobs/nhs-wales-covid-19-vaccination-team-returning-healthcare-professionals/

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 up to 10 days from when your symptoms started.

·         Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation

o   You can book a test at https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test

o   You should continue to isolate while waiting for a test result. 

Where to find the latest information

·         Wales is at alert level two. More information is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2

·         Our latest Coronavirus Control Plan, setting out the longer-term plan for Wales is at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-control-plan-autumn-and-winter-2021-update  

·         Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws

·         For more information about getting your Covid-19 vaccine: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination

·         Can you support the vaccination programme? More information for NHS staff and volunteers at: https://heiw.nhs.wales/jobs/nhs-wales-covid-19-vaccination-team-returning-healthcare-professionals/

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Saturday, January 1, 2022

Happy New Year/Blwyddyn Newydd Dda from llanblogger!

llanblogger wishes readers a Happy New Year/Blwyddyn Newydd Dda



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