"We seem to have passed the peak" says Public Health Wales coronavirus director

The Welsh Government announced on Friday that lockdown arrangements will continue for 21 days, with minor adjustments to regulations.

Dr Christopher Williams, incident director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said that Wales seemed to have passed the peak and flattened the curve of new cases but that the virus is still circulating in every part of Wales.

“Public Health Wales reminds the public to continue to adhere to Welsh Government restrictions on non-essential travel, caravan and campsites, hotels, B&Bs and holiday accommodations, as well as the limited access to our national parks, over the Bank Holiday weekend,” said Dr Williams.

“We also remind owners of second homes in Wales to act responsibly and to avoid traveling to these homes until restrictions have been lifted.”

He said that Public Health Wales fully supported the change the regulations which includes allowing people to exercise more than once a day.

However, he urged people to stay local, starting and ending exercise at home and not travelling a significant distance from home to exercise.

“We seem to have passed the peak and flattened the curve of new cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Wales, which appears to be an indication of the effectiveness of lockdown measures,” he said.

We are currently working with Welsh Government to determine the best approach for when the lockdown is eventually ease.”

He emphasised that Covid-19 is still circulating in every part of Wales, and the single most important action we can all take in fighting the virus is to stay at home, and thanked people across Wales for doing their bit to help slow the spread of the virus. Although the stay at home message remained he reinforced the message from NHS Wales that urgent and emergency care services for physical and mental health are still open and accessible.

“For parents, if your child is unwell and you are concerned you should seek help. If you have urgent dental pain you should still call your dentist. If you have a health complaint that is worrying you and won’t go away you should call your GP practice. If you or a family member are seriously ill or injured you should dial 999 or attend your nearest Emergency Department.” Public Health Wales continues to support the implementation of the Critical Workers Testing Policy to reduce the spread Covid-19.

“We will be increasing our testing capacity in the weeks and months to come and it will be essential for us to exploit all possible technology to create a streamlined and digitally enabled process to support this,” he said. “The recommendations in the minister’s review will be helpful in achieving this.”

He also encouraged everyone to download the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptom study app, covid.joinzoe.com, which has been supported by Welsh Government. The app allows users to log daily symptoms to help build a clearer picture of how the virus is affecting people.

“Public Health Wales is working to address the negative impact of coronavirus on the social, mental and physical wellbeing of people in Wales,” he said. “Our latest campaign, How are you Doing?’ is now live and offering practical advice from phw.nhs.wales/howareyoudoing.

People no longer need to contact NHS 111 if they think they may have contracted Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). Information about the symptoms to look out for is available on the Public Health Wales website, or members of the public can use the NHS Wales symptom checker.

Anyone with a suspected coronavirus illness should not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. They should only contact NHS 111 if they feel they cannot cope with their symptoms at home, their condition gets worse, or their symptoms do not get better after seven days.

Only call 999 if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, do not call 999 just because you are on hold to 111.