Welsh Government's plan to live with Covid largely welcomed

Responding to the plan to remove the remaining legal requirements in Wales and the Welsh Government’s plan to live safely with the virus, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation, said:

“We welcome Welsh Government’s cautious, phased approach to easing the remaining Covid regulations in Wales.

“Thanks to high vaccination rates and improving levels of infections across Wales, we’re now able to plan to remove legal requirements and move away from an emergency response.

“It’s encouraging to see a level of testing being maintained, at least for the next few months. Testing in health and care settings is a vital protective measure as many patients and residents are among the most vulnerable in our society. However, scrapping the requirement for face masks in health and care settings is a cause for concern for this very reason.

“The First Minister was right to note the very “real” pressure on the healthcare system. Even with lower levels of hospitalisations, the very existence of Covid has a huge impact on services and the NHS’ ability to provide care to all that need it.”