Wales

[Filterphobia]

Starting a new one for us Welshies. So after the new measures brought in last Friday is anyone else anticipating Drakeford bringing in further restrictions at the next 3 week review?

I really hope I’m wrong but when you consider that in Wales we never ditched masks or WFH and our rates were the highest out of all UK nations it makes you wonder what other cards they can possibly play next.

We didn’t officially ditch the masks but unofficially it looks like we did. I work in a shop and hardly anyone bothers anymore

Yes I guess that’s true @Watto1
I live close to the English border and I was shopping last week and did notice that most weren’t bothering but I assumed it was because we were so close to England.

I'm not Welsh, but have just got back from a weekend just on the Welsh/Shropshire border and the shops we went it had limits on the amount of people that could be in at any one time and a notice on the window stating that even though people don't have to wear masks in England, It is still legally required in Wales. Didn't see anyone without one

I would think that anything major needs to be UK wide for money reasons but saying that a friend of mine messaged today to say that she’d heard a rumour from someone who has been right before that Wales will have a 2 week lockdown with schools closed at the end of November to squash another expected spike and protect Christmas and there’s more expected in January.
Something needs to be done but I don’t know what.

If cases are so high in Wales why do people think mask mandates work to reduce cases?

I talk to several colleagues in our Welsh branch daily. They’re mostly choosing to go into work, effectively ignoring WFH. One of them told me privately that their boss is on the point of getting everyone back to WFH, March 2020 style having “taken advice” (not sure from whom).

I'm in Pembrokeshire, everyone wearing masks in shops and on buses, i work in a shop and a gallery, we make a point of asking anyone without one to put one on, and we have big notices at the entrance.. however i dont understand why waitresses in cafes dont seem to bother, pisses me off, its not like theyre eating or drinking!

All i can see Drakeford doing is extending Covid passport requirements, meanwhile our local hospital has had to close to visitors twice in the last few weeks because of Covid cases. What more can he do? bar lockdown or limiting household numbers etc, which'll go down like a lead balloon in some places..

I’m in Cardiff and it’s noticeable now how many people are not wearing masks in town. This is why our cases are very high. To a previous poster mask mandates work if people actually wear them but that is sadly not happening anymore.
I think cases are going to start rising again now that half term is over so I expect we will see some more restrictions in a few weeks. Already had a Covid letter from my ds school today.

@merchswyddefrog Why isn't the lack of masks in England having the same effect then?

It is, it’s not as if cases in England are low is it. Just lower than here. There are places in England where the rates are really high at the moment, just look at the South West.

I think that the tourism over the summer has left us with a nastier autumn legacy than some parts of England.

It was essential to the economy though so I'm not blaming anybody, just saying that's what I think is behind the welsh figures.

@Muchtoomuchtodo I hope that rumour about the lockdown and school closures is wrong. I really can’t see them closing schools based on case numbers alone, surely that would only be implemented if hospitalisation and deaths rise.

I agree that it makes no sense why cases in Wales are higher when we have kept masks and WFH. I can only assume it’s due to non compliance. I really can’t see anyone complying with any further restrictions though, especially if we go down the household mixing ban again 😱

I don't think there can be a lockdown now furlough has ended. And household mixing bans will not be well complied with.

Cases in my area are very high; so is mask compliance from what I observe and the big employers at least are still WFH. So I'm concluding those things make very little difference.

I work in Llandudno and the amount of English that refuse to wear masks is unbelievable. The firm I work for says we can't force them. I had a positive pcr test yesterday

I absolutely do think they are softening us up for a lockdown

I am also in Pembrokeshire and we have very high cases. Everyone seems to be wearing masks. I really do hope that schools stay open but I can see some restrictions having to come back in if cases continue to go up. We went so long with so few cases it is awful to now be in this situation. The local secondary school has had quite a few cases and I think this is the same situation across Wales, the kids all getting it.

I work near caerphilly. Most people still wear masks, but increasingly young adults have stopped wearing them.

I'm wondering if maybe a stricter work from home message will be rolled out? I hope schools don't shut!

I’m in Abergavenny. My sons school was closed due to too many covid cases among staff for the 2 days before half term started. There’s been an email about a positive case in every class for weeks. It seems all of a sudden that everyone I know has covid, whereas I can count on one hand how many I know has had it in the past year.
I hope the past week at home for the children has allowed us to ‘reset’ the transmissions.

I'm expecting some form of restrictions it has been strongly hinted at. I hope not though.

Not in Wales but quite concerned to hear about the apparent end to testing and isolation of close contact and symptomatic under 5s. Outraged on behalf of people working in childcare settings. Nobody else is expected to work in close proximity to covid positive people with no mitigations and little ones from covid positive households sneezing in your face all day. Health care professionals are at least prioritised for vaccines & boosters, wear PPE and (in a hospital) can expect air quality standards. At what point would we consider this to be unhealthy/unsafe working conditions?

@KeeefBurtain

I’m in Abergavenny. My sons school was closed due to too many covid cases among staff for the 2 days before half term started. There’s been an email about a positive case in every class for weeks. It seems all of a sudden that everyone I know has covid, whereas I can count on one hand how many I know has had it in the past year. I hope the past week at home for the children has allowed us to ‘reset’ the transmissions.

Are you at ct primary as myself sister said they had few cases older years. Think KHS had few cases last term.. Monmouthshire was doing better yajn other counties even read powys quite high.

My mam keeps saying Wales doing really well.
We dident visit Wales half term as loads cases south west and my parents not had their boosters .
Mam also said mask wearing not really enforced strictly.
Sister said the Grange is always struggling and freind said they have use several different hospitals now since nevill Hall downgrade.

@containsnuts

Not in Wales but quite concerned to hear about the apparent end to testing and isolation of close contact and symptomatic under 5s. Outraged on behalf of people working in childcare settings. Nobody else is expected to work in close proximity to covid positive people with no mitigations and little ones from covid positive households sneezing in your face all day. Health care professionals are at least prioritised for vaccines & boosters, wear PPE and (in a hospital) can expect air quality standards. At what point would we consider this to be unhealthy/unsafe working conditions?

Close contact under 5s (indeed under 18s) don't have to isolate anywhere in the UK if I've understood correctly.

I think you're meant to isolate symptomatic under 5s (without testing them) but I could be wrong. Although I have an under 5, it's not very relevant to me as I don't use child care so would just keep her in our house/garden if she was symptomatic. Which is what I would always have done tbh - I don't want to test her as I've had a couple and it's not a nice process so I'd just isolate without testing as we can do that.

Oh, actually I'm wrong about the under 18s, aren't I? In Wales they do have to isolate, but the under 5s don't if there's a household case. But in England no one under 18 has to isolate as a contact I think.

What's unique to Wales is that there is no requirement for under 5s to test or isolate if they have symptoms, even if those symptoms started following a close contact with a positive case.