Chancellor announces help for lockdown businesses

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has this morning announced £4.6bn in new lockdown grants to support businesses and protect jobs.

Those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are to receive a one-off grant worth up to £9,000.

This follows the Prime Minister’s announcement last night that these business will be closed until at least February half-term in order to help control the virus, and, together with the wide range of existing support, provides them with certainty through the Spring period.

The cash is provided on a per-property basis to support businesses through the latest restrictions, and is expected to benefit over 600,000 business properties, worth £4 billion in total across all nations of the UK.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "The new strain of the virus presents us all with a huge challenge - and whilst the vaccine is being rolled out, we have needed to tighten restrictions further.

"Throughout the pandemic we’ve taken swift action to protect lives and livelihoods and today we’re announcing a further cash injection to support businesses and jobs until the Spring.

"This will help businesses to get through the months ahead – and crucially it will help sustain jobs, so workers can be ready to return when they are able to reopen."

A further £594 million is also being made available for Local Authorities and the Devolved Administrations to support other businesses not eligible for the grants, that might be affected by the restrictions. Businesses should apply to their Local Authorities.

The new one-off grants come in addition to billions of existing business support, including grants worth up to £3,000 for closed businesses, and up to £2,100 per month for impacted businesses once they reopen.

The government has also provided 100% business rates relief for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, £1.1 billion existing discretionary funding for Local Authorities, the furlough scheme now extended to April and 100% government backed loans, extended until March.

Further information

• the one-off top-ups will be granted to closed businesses as follows:
• £4,000 for businesses with a rateable value of £15,000 or under
• £6,000 for businesses with a rateable value between £15,000 and £51,000
• £9,000 for businesses with a rateable value of over £51,000
• business support is a devolved policy and therefore the responsibility of the devolved administrations, which will receive additional funding as a result of these announcements in the usual manner:
• the Scottish Government will receive £375 million
• the Welsh Government will receive £227 million
• the Northern Ireland Executive will receive £127 million
• this is on top of the increased funding which has already been guaranteed by the UK Government, to continue to provide the devolved administrations the certainty they need to plan for their COVID-19 response in the months ahead
• small businesses in the devolved administrations should also be able to benefit from other UK-wide measures in the government’s unprecedented package of support for business, including the various business lending schemes (where the repayment terms were made easier as part of the Winter Economy Plan), and the extension of the Self Employment Income Support Scheme.

Latest Covid-19 update from Welsh Government

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

·        As the four UK chief medical officers today agreed the UK’s level of risk has reached the highest level, Education Minister Kirsty Williams has confirmed all school and college students will receive online learning until January 18.

o   The Welsh Government made the announcement following consultation with the WLGA and Colegau Cymru. The next fortnight will be used to plan for the rest of term.

o   Universities in Wales have already agreed a staggered start to the term.

o   Schools statement: https://gov.wales/written-statement-return-school-and-college-arrangements

o   Joint CMO statement: https://gov.wales/joint-statement-uk-cmos-recommending-uk-covid-19-alert-level-move-level-4-level-5

 

·         The first Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines were given to people in Wales today as clinics are set up across the nation, just five days after the vaccine was approved for use in the UK.

o   There are now two Covid-19 vaccines in use in Wales – the Oxford vaccine and the Pfizer vaccine.

o   https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-vaccine-deployment-data-wales and https://gov.wales/second-covid-19-vaccine-arrives-wales

o   Watch Health Minister Vaughan Gething’s press conference: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1346067991822102528

o   Questions about Covid-19 vaccines? Visit: https://phw.nhs.wales/topics/immunisation-and-vaccines/covid-19-vaccination-information/

 

·         First Minister’s New Year message: https://gov.wales/new-year-message-first-minister-wales-mark-drakeford

 

Coronavirus in numbers

·         The latest figures published by Public Health Wales today show there have been 1,898 newly reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 157,209 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.

o   Very sadly, there were 25 further deaths reported by Public Health Wales today. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 3,645.

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

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

o   Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.

o   You should arrange to have a test to see if you have coronavirus once you are self-isolating. 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.

·         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

·         Information about the new national measures in place in Wales is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-4

·         Public Health Wales provides a daily update about the number of cases of coronavirus in Wales. It is available at: https://covid19-phwstatement.nhs.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/

·         Information about support for businesses is available at the Business Wales website https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/

·         The Welsh Government holds a regular media briefing about coronavirus. These are on-the-record, on-camera and supported by a BSL interpreter. These are held at 12.15pm and live-streamed on our @WelshGovernment Twitter channel.

o   Health Minister Vaughan Gething held today’s press conference. You can watch again at: https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1346067991822102528

o   The slides from today’s press conference are at: https://gov.wales/slides-and-datasets-minister-health-and-social-services-coronavirus-briefing-4-january-2021

New way for patients to contact health centre is trialled

Llangollen Health Centre is notifying patients it is trialling a new way to contact the practice.

In a Facebook post it says: "During the Covid-19 pandemic it has become clear that patients appreciate having an alternative method of contacting us other than the telephone and we have been encouraging patients to email us with non-urgent requests. 

"However, there are issues with emails and we have been looking for an alternative which gives patients the same flexibility but also ensures the query has some structure and contains all the necessary details.

"From 4th January 2021, we are trialling a new system for contacting us regarding non-urgent queries and we would like patients to use this system instead of emailing us. Please note you are still able to phone us on 01978 860625.

"If you need to contact us regarding a non-urgent issue please use the following link:

https://florey.accurx.com/p/W91010

"You will see three options:

· I have an admin query – please use this for requests for repeat prescription, sick notes, test results or anything else that is not related to a medical issue

· I want help for a medical issue – please use this to go on triage regarding a medical issue. If your query is regarding a skin lesion, mole, rash or lump please upload a photo if you can

· I want to see online advice – please use this for advice and guidance on condition, symptoms and treatments, including self care advice

"You will be asked some standard questions to ensure that you do not need an ambulance and then you will be asked to provide some further information regarding your query. We will aim to deal with your query within two working days.

"For urgent queries please continue to ring us on 01978 860625."

Minister's statement on arrangements for schools and colleges

Education Minister Kirsty Williams (pictured) has issued this statement on arrangements for schools and colleges:

The situation in Wales and across the UK remains very serious. Today, the four UK Chief Medical Officers have agreed that the UK is now at the highest level of risk, Joint Biosecurity Council level 5.

In the light of that decision the Welsh Government, in consultation with the WLGA and Colegau Cymru, has agreed that all schools, colleges and independent schools should move to online learning until January 18th.

As a government we will use the next two weeks to continue to work with local authorities, schools and colleges to plan for the rest of term.

This is the best way to ensure that parents, staff and learners can be confident in the return to face to face learning, based on the latest evidence and information.

Schools and colleges will remain open for children of critical workers and vulnerable learners, as well as for learners who need to complete essential exams or assessments. On this basis Special Schools and PRU’s should remain open if possible.

We had initially given schools flexibility in the first two weeks of term to decide when to reopen based on local circumstances.

But it is now clear that a national approach of online learning for the first fortnight of term is the best way forward.

We know that schools and colleges have been safe and secure environments throughout the pandemic.

However, we also know that education settings being open can contribute to wider social mixing outside the school and college environment.

We are confident that schools and colleges have online learning provision in place for this immediate period,

Universities in Wales have already agreed a staggered start to term. Students should not return to universities for face to face learning until they are notified that they can do so.

Wales remains in the highest level of restrictions. Everyone must stay at home.

I will continue to update members.

This statement is being issued during recess in order to keep members informed. Should members wish me to make a further statement or to answer questions on this when the Senedd returns I would be happy to do so.

Minister says Wales "not left behind" in vaccine roll-out

* Health Minister Vaughan Gething gives today's press conference.

Wales’ health minister has denied the nation is “behind the pace” in rolling out Covid-19 vaccines and promised a “significant acceleration” in the coming weeks, reports the BBC online news.

This comes as the number of new cases in north Wales continues to climb,

Giving the Welsh Government's latest coronavirus update Vaughan Gething said he believed the Welsh NHS would have vaccinated people within the “first” priority groups, including care home residents, “at about the same time as every other UK nation”.

Letters going to every household about the vaccine rollout “will provide people with a measure of assurance” and would explain how they would be contacted, he told the Welsh Government press conference on Monday.

Amid concern about the rollout, Mr Gething said he hoped to publish more detail on numbers and “a better indication of how we’re going through all those occupational groups”.

“So I appreciate everyone has questions, but I think that people at the end of this will see that we have not been behind the pace," he said.

“And actually the significant acceleration that we'll see over the coming weeks will give people even an even greater measure of confidence about the coming months.”

* Mr Gething said the number of mass vaccination centres in Wales will be increased to 22 and more than 60 GP surgeries will offer the Oxford vaccine.

He said mobile units would be set up throughout Wales.

Health boards and local authorities would be writing to everyone in Wales with more information about the vaccine in the coming days, he said.

“We are training a range of healthcare workers to give the vaccine and we have plans to work with local pharmacists, dentists and optometrists to provide vaccination clinics.

“We will continue to provide the Pfizer vaccine at the mass vaccination centres across Wales," he added.

“We are working to the priority list agreed by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation. The rest of the UK is working to the same list."

Mr Gething said the immediate priority was to vaccinate front-line health and care staff, care home residents and staff, and people over the age of 80, which would save the greatest number of lives.

He said everyone would get two doses up to 12 weeks apart.

* Schools in Wales will continue with the phased return to face-to-face learning over the first two weeks of the new term unless the "evidence changes", according to Mr Gething.

Teaching unions have voiced concern about sending pupils back to class while a new variant of coronavirus continues to spread.

Vaughan Gething said closing schools remained a "last resort" but added: "If the evidence changes then we'll have to take account of that evidence and that may lead to a different choice."

* OVER 300 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across our region by Public Health Wales (PHW) today, reports the Denbighshire Free Press.

There have now been almost 19,570 lab-confirmed cases of the virus from the combined counties that make up the North Wales region since the outbreak of the pandemic - after more incidents were confirmed in the latest figures released today.

Public Health Wales confirmed that the 304 of today’s 1,898 newly confirmed Welsh cases were from the northern region.

They can be broken down as such:

• Anglesey – 14 (20.0 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Conwy – 29 (24.7 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Denbighshire – 62 (64.8 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Flintshire – 91 (58.3 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Gwynedd – 15 (12.0 per 100,000 population as of today)

• Wrexham – 93 (68.4 per 100,000 population as of today)

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board – the largest health board in Wales – has reported 595 people have sadly died to date according to PHW data.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics, which are considered a stronger indicator of the overall impact of the virus, and which are based on all deaths where COVID is mentioned on the death certificate, stand at 773 for the health board area.

Second Covid vaccination to be rolled out across Wales from today

The second COVID-19 vaccine is being rolled-out across Wales from today (Monday) with at least 40,000 doses available within the first two weeks, says the Welsh Givernment. 

Last week [Wednesday 30 December] the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) authorised the AstraZeneca vaccine as safe and effective following stringent clinical trials - just 3 weeks after the first coronavirus vaccine, Pfizer BioNTech, was approved for use across the UK.

The Welsh Government and NHS Wales have been preparing for the vaccinations’ approvals and delivery since June.

The UK Government has procured vaccines on behalf of the four nations and around 100m of these are of the AstraZeneca vaccine - formerly known as Oxford AstraZeneca - with Wales receiving its allocation based on population over the next weeks and months.

Two doses will be needed, with an interval of between four and 12 weeks between doses. This is a change from previous advice for both vaccines of a four week gap between doses, as the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people as possible in the top priority groups should sequentially be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority.

The recommendation to prioritise the first dose will allow protection to more people in the priority groups at a time when COVID is still spreading in Wales.

Based on a UK-wide priority system, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has already begun to be administered to frontline health and social care staff, as well as care home residents and staff and people aged over 80 and the AstraZeneca vaccine will enable more.

Latest figures to end of Sat 27^th December show that over 35,000 people have received the first dose of the vaccine within just 3 weeks of the start of the vaccination programme.

Every health board in Wales will receive their allocation in proportion to the size of its priority population and ability to deliver, as outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s prioritisation list.

Unlike the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine is stored at normal vaccine fridge temperatures. This means it will have few storage and transportation issues, making it much easier to use in community settings such as care homes and primary care settings like GP surgeries.

People are asked not to phone their GP, pharmacy or hospital asking when they will get a vaccine. When someone is in one of the groups eligible for the vaccine, they will be invited to attend a dedicated clinic which will have been set up to ensure patient safety and that of the healthcare professionals.

Correspondence will come from local health boards and the vaccine is free of charge through the NHS. People are warned to be alert to scams asking for money or personal information.

The effects of the vaccines may not be seen nationally for many months and the advice on keeping Wales safe remains the same for everyone; keep contacts with others to a minimum, keep a 2 metre distance from others, wash hands regularly, wear a face covering where required and avoid touching surfaces others have touched, wherever possible.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “Today marks a key milestone in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been called a ‘game changer’ and this is true - its potential should not be underestimated. 

“In less than a month Wales’ NHS has mobilised the largest vaccination programme our country has ever seen and so far more than 35,000 people have received their first dose.

“Now, only 5 days since regulatory approval of the new vaccine for use in the UK, a second vaccine is here and ready for use, significantly adding to Wales’ defences in the face of coronavirus and protecting our most vulnerable.”

Senior Responsible Officer for Wales’ COVID-19 Vaccine Programme Dr Gillian Richardson said: “It is fantastic news that there is now a second vaccine to help protect our communities’ most vulnerable from the harms of COVID-19.

“Pace will be governed by supply, which will start slowly this week but build vastly over the coming weeks and months. However, vaccinations are happening in GP surgeries from today and we will also see an increase in our vaccination centres over the course of this month.

“It is so important that people continue to wait their turn for the vaccine – you will be contacted when your time comes. Please do not contact your GP or local pharmacy and add unnecessary pressures to their workload.”

Care boss says home residents should get priority for Covid jabs

* Mario Kreft, chair of Care Forum Wales.

A social care leader has warned of "catastrophic consequences" if care home residents are not given “absolute priority” in the roll-out of the newly approved Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine.

Mario Kreft MBE, chair of Care Forum Wales, spoke out because of concerns that the vaccine might be too late in reaching uniquely vulnerable residents at a time when care homes across Wales were at crisis point and the spread of the virus was rampant.

The Oxford vaccine is the second to be given approval by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency whose head, Dr June Raine, said it would save tens of thousands of lives, adding "no corners have been cut" in assessing the safety and effectiveness of the jab.

Mr Kreft said: “It’s clearly fantastic news that the Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine has been approved  but it’s vitally important that it is rolled out very quickly because were are now in a desperate race against time, especially since this new super-strain of Covid-19 is so highly infectious and out of control, with community transmission rampant.

“Every care home manager will have everything crossed that the vaccine reaches their residents before the virus. There is great trepidation in the social care sector that it might not come soon enough.

“Residents in all care homes should be given absolute priority – along with the staff who provide care for them. Because of their age and infirmity, our vulnerable residents are uniquely at risk from this deadly virus.

“All residents and staff in care homes need to be vaccinated immediately – even in homes where they have had cases. Wherever they can be vaccinated safely they should be.

“If we fail to urgently protect care home residents we will be faced with catastrophic  consequences. This really is a matter of life or death.

“The situation could not be more urgent because this new mutant strain of the virus is even more dangerous because of its frightening ability to spread so quickly .

“In the meantime, I am appealing to people across Wales to adhere to the hugely important safety protocols, including social distancing, wearing masks and frequent handwashing.

“This is a civic responsibility. We will only suppress this virus and get back to some kind of normality when approximately 80 per cent of the population are vaccinated, otherwise we will never get rid of it.

“The sector is facing unprecedented pressure. We are in a perfect storm because of the risk of transmission by asymptomatic staff at a time when many staff are isolating and agency staff are hard to come by to provide cover. Many care homes throughout Wales are at crisis point.

“It may well be that Christmas has turbo-charged this virus and the exponential growth of community transmission is the greatest threat of all at the moment and this is something we must suppress, otherwise the vaccine will come too late for many people.

“Everybody in social care have worked unbelievably hard for the past 10 months and now the  vaccine is within our grasp – we just need a final push to get over the line.”

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "Very pleased that the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has been given the go-ahead. Over 25,000 vaccines have already been administered in Wales and this second vaccine will start to be rolled out here in the New Year."