We must all take action to help prevent the need for further restrictions

Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, responded to the latest review of restrictions in Wales:

“Health leaders across Wales welcome the reinforced messages from Welsh Government on the actions we can all to take help in the face of the Omicron variant.

“As set out in the NHS Confederations’ #NotTooMuchToMask campaign, the public has a vital role to play in curving the spread of the virus. This includes wearing face coverings, getting vaccinated, keeping indoor spaces ventilated, washing hands regularly and regularly testing before going to busy public places and/or mixing with others.

“No one wants another lockdown or for patient care to be disrupted again given how hard frontline teams are working, including recent enormous ramping up the booster programme. That’s why we must all take action on the things that are within our control – we can all help. This includes taking up the offer of a booster vaccination as our best line of defence.

“Whilst we face uncertain times as a health and care system, the increased testing capacity in Wales and the launch of the PANORAMIC clinical trial are welcome developments.

“With Christmas fast-approaching, we would like to thank everyone working in health and care for everything they’ve done over the course of the pandemic, the most difficult time in the NHS’ history.”