Wales goes into Alert Level Four - and TWO household Christmas mixing 'advised' in Wales
Non-essential retail, salons and gyms to close on Christmas Eve and no household mixing from 28th
Last updated 16th Dec 2020
Wales is entering the top level of Coronavirus restrictions on Christmas Eve.
First Minister Mark Drakeford's telling a lunchtime briefing of journalists that record levels of people are now in hospital with Coronavirus in Wales, equivalent to 5 full hospitals.
He's announced we are going into Alert Level Four here, which means that at the close of trading on Christmas Eve, salons and gyms will close as well as non essential retail.
Hospitality businesses will close from 6pm on Christmas Day.
The new restrictions will apply to all of Wales.
Tighter restrictions on household mixing, staying-at-home, holiday accommodation and travel will apply from December 28, after the five-day Christmas period.
He also said the Welsh Government are advising that just TWO households should mix over Christmas, but there will be a further update from all four nations of the UK on Christmas arrangements later today.
Mark Drakeford said:
“We are seeing levels of coronavirus in some parts of the country that we haven’t experienced at any point before in this pandemic. This pandemic is putting our NHS under intense and sustained strain.
“There are more than 2,100 people with coronavirus symptoms in our hospitals – equivalent to five general hospitals fully occupied by people with coronavirus.
“This has been such a long and difficult year. We need to take this action to save lives and control the spread of this awful virus.”
The four UK governments met today to confirm the common arrangements for the five-day Christmas period. Joint advice will be published later today.
In Wales, the position will be that only two households should come together to form an exclusive Christmas bubble during that period.
The First Minister added:
“A smaller Christmas is a safer Christmas and a shorter Christmas is a safer Christmas.
“The fewer people we mix with in our homes, the less chance we have of catching or spreading the virus.
“None of us wants to be ill this Christmas. And we don’t want to give coronavirus to our close family or friends.”
From the 28th December restrictions on household mixing will also come into force and he warned that working from home where possible will be one of the most important contributions people can make.
The First Minister told reporters there will be further support packages available for businesses and details would be released later.
Dr David Bailey, Chair of the BMA’s Welsh Council said:
“BMA Cymru Wales welcomes the announcement that Wales will be entering a level four lockdown on 28 December. As transmission rates continue to rise rapidly across Wales and pressure on the NHS intensifies, there really is no other option.
“Welsh Government should look again at changing the law on the number of households which are able to meet at Christmas, we fear many may disregard the advice for two households to meet, and look to do what they are legally able to."
“We urge the public to take the risk seriously and minimise contact as much as possible this Christmas in order to protect each other and to lessen the impact on the NHS.”