Some Covid measures in Wales could be extended after March 28

The removal of the remaining legal coronavirus measures in Wales were expected to take place on March 28 as part of Wales’ long-term Covid-19 plan.

Any changes will be announced at tomorrow's three-weekly Welsh Government Covid review.

The Welsh Government is mulling over extending certain coronavirus restrictions following a surge in cases, Minister for Health Eluned Morgan said this week.

This could mean measures such as wearing face coverings in shops could continue longer than expected.

Eluned Morgan

She warned that there had been a “marked increase” in Covid-19 numbers driven by the new BA.2 variant of Omicron.

Speaking on the eve of the second anniversary of the start of the 2020 lockdown, Ms Morgan said the virus was spreading quickly “in all parts of Wales and in all age groups”.

Numbers had been declining steadily since the end of January, and Wales was on the brink of shedding its last remaining Covid-19 restrictions.

Currently face coverings must be worn in shops, on public transport and in health and care settings, while those who test positive must continue to self-isolate.

Licenced premises must also continue to do coronavirus risk assessments, but all of these conditions were due to be dropped on March 28.

Ms Morgan said it would be a “finely balanced judgment” as to whether measures continue, but added: “There are no foregone conclusions.”

She said the primary concern was pressure on the NHS, warning that hospitals are already full and increased cases would create knock-on problems for services such as accident and emergency units.

“It may be that we look at keeping some restrictions and forging ahead with ones that we had planned (to drop) already, but there are no decisions that have been made so far,” the minister said.

At the last Covid review on March 4, Mark Drakeford announced all legal coronavirus measures in Wales could be removed by March 28.

Mark Drakeford

But then rates of Covid-19 had been falling steadily in Wales since the rise of the Omicron variant – with around 160 cases per 100,000 people.

But now there are around 1,400 people in Welsh hospitals with Covid-19, although only 19% were admitted due to the disease.

Ms Morgan acknowledged people in Wales are experiencing pandemic fatigue, as well as stress from the rise in living costs and anxiety over the war in Ukraine.

But she said people needed to have “perspective” on what they are being asked to do and why certain coronavirus measures might have to continue.

“The measures that are left are actually fairly limited, so I don’t think it’s a huge big deal to ask people to wear a face covering in certain circumstances,” Ms Morgan said.

“I just think we need to get some perspective on this relative to where we have been in the past, where we simply weren’t even allowed to leave our homes.”

Wales rolled out a booster campaign last week to everyone over the age of 75, older care home residents and everyone over 12 who is immunosuppressed due to concern that waning immunity may make some groups more vulnerable.

Face coverings.

Children between the ages of five to 11 are also being offered a vaccine.

From March 28 the availability of free PCR tests for the public will end and be replaced with lateral flow tests, which will be available until June.

PCR tests will be restricted to care homes and hospitals, and health and social care staff.