June 03, 2020 - 797 views
On the day that it has been announced that pupils in Wales will be returning to the classroom, another 82 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported.
Again North Wales makes up the majority of new cases with 53 reported in the past day.
Our region now makes 65% of new cases and again Denbighshire has seen a significant number with 15 new cases along with 6 in Conwy. There have also been 12 new cases in Gwynedd.
According to a Sky News report, during the last week of May Denbighshire and Conwy were the Welsh areas with the highest rates of infection followed by Rhondda Cynon Taf and Wrexham.
Some parents in response to a news report posting from Bayside Radio were concerned that local schools may be returning too early particularly as North Wales is experiencing new cases behind other parts of Wales and the UK.
Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:
“We welcome increased testing resulting from Welsh participation in the UK-wide system. From Thursday 4 June, Public Health Wales will be reporting the number of Welsh residents who have received a Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) test through the UK online portal, and who have been tested as part of UK-wide arrangements in labs in England. In due course we will integrate the data into our COVID dashboards.
“Contact tracing continues in Wales as part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ strategy. Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who have come in contact with an individual with Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in order to prevent the risk of others spreading the infection in our communities.
“Anyone who has a positive Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) test will be contacted by a team of contact tracers, and asked for details of everyone they have had close contact with while they have had symptoms.
“Please keep a note of your activities so you can easily remember your whereabouts on a given day, along with who were in contact with. You do not need to have any concerns about providing names to the tracing team. This is for everyone’s benefit and we are grateful for your continued cooperation.
“If you are asked to self-isolate, you should also comply with this request to prevent further spread of the virus.
“Tracers are trained staff and personal information that you provide will handled in line with data protection regulations and will not be shared widely.
“Over the last few weeks, Public Health Wales has been setting up the methods and guidance for how contact tracing will operate. We will continue to work closely to support local health boards and local authorities in delivering contact tracing.
“The Welsh Government’s revised lockdown arrangements also continue. People from two different households in the same local area can meet up outdoors, provided they continue to maintain social distancing and strict hand hygiene.
“The announcement adds that, as a general rule, people should not travel more than five miles from home. This will help to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading as people begin to travel more.
“Revised lockdown arrangements also apply to people in Wales who have been told to ‘shield’ from the virus. They are able to go outside and meet people from another household, provided they keep a two-metre distance.
“Future relaxation of lockdown measures will also be dependent on everyone following advice set out in the ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ strategy, including self-isolating when required.
“Information about the symptoms of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to look out for is available on the Public Health Wales website, or members of the public can use the NHS Wales symptom checker.
