A pregnant assembly member waiting to be induced took to Twitter to say it was "difficult" being without her partner due to Covid-19 restrictions, but thanking hospital staff.

Plaid Cymru's Bethan Sayed tweeted on Wednesday morning to say her baby didn't "seem to want to make an appearance", as she had been in hospital since Monday.

"Difficult for all us women not to have our partners here for this stage, but midwives + staff here for us," she posted.

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A senior figure at Wales' largest hospital says staff are in unchartered territory as it prepares to face "a huge wave" of coronavirus cases.

So far 14 patients have been admitted to intensive care at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff with the virus.

But Dr Richard Skone said efforts by staff so far had been monumental.

More than 800 clinicians from across different departments have been given specialist Covid-19 training.

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Discussions on how to keep construction workers safe during the virus crisis continue between the Welsh and Scottish governments, the first minister has said.

Both are working to find a way of "bearing down on construction sites" where workers' safety is not adhered to", Mark Drakeford told the Senedd on Wednesday.

Construction firms across the UK have been split over whether to halt development, with confusion around the UK government's advice.

Mr Drakeford said last week there was a "strong case" for closing some construction sites but added it was "complicated".

His comments today came after Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price asked why the Welsh Government had not used their power to order non-essential construction to come to an end for now.

"In relation to construction, my understanding is that the Scottish Government has issued guidance. It's not an instruction - it is guidance," Mr Drakeford said in response.

"We were in discussions with the Scottish Government on this yesterday and we'll be in discussions with them again tomorrow."

A Welsh MP has criticised the latest coronavirus update by the UK government for a lack of answers and a lack of mention of the situation in Wales.

Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, took to Twitter to bemoan the lack of a mention of the situation in the devolved nations.

"Astonishing lack of answers so far in @GOVUK, external#Coronavirus, external press conference on crucial issue of #testing, external and other critical issues," he tweeted.

"Also barely a mention of #Wales, external#Scotland, external#NI, external - simply not good enough

Mr Sharma offered his "heartfelt thanks" to businesses up and down the country helping to keep the economy going.

He said the government will do everything it can to support business and the chancellor will say more in the coming days.

And he had a warning for banks that it would be "completely unacceptable" for them to refuse financial support to firms which need it, referencing the support they got from the taxpayer following the 2008 financial crisis.

Business Secretary Alok Sharma starts by confirming the latest infection figures and number of deaths, which were announced earlier.

He says 2,352 people who tested positive for the virus have died in UK hospitals, a rise of 563 on yesterday’s figure.

He adds that a total of 152,979 people have been tested for the virus, of whom 29,474 returned a positive result.

He says “all our thoughts and prayers” are with those who have lost loved ones, adding that the death of a 13-year-old shows the virus is indiscriminate in who it targets.

Swansea in Bloom may have been postponed but there is still a way to show off the flowers...

Welsh NHS bed capacity is to be “effectively doubled” in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the health minister has said.

Vaughan Gething told an online meeting of assembly members that the work, which includes setting up field hospitals at the Principality Stadium and Parc y Scarlets, was “exceptional”.

He said: “Our health boards will have, in effect, created the equivalent of up to 7,000 additional beds with the plans they have in place for field hospitals or Nightingale hospitals - essentially, step-up and step-down care.

“That is effectively double the number of existing NHS beds.

“That is exceptional in any circumstances and it's been created over a number of days.”

The minister also said the number of critical care beds had risen to 313.

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Wales and Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey has given £3,000 to a homelessness charity to help them survive - only for charity bosses to mistake him for chef Gordon Ramsay.

He made the donation after seeing workers at Help the Homeless Newport and Free Newport urge a "big corporation" to donate as they feared they would not survive the coronavirus lockdown.

Ramsey's donation means the charity can pay the rent and secure it for a year.

Tariq Khan, who runs the charity, admitted that he initially mistook the footballer for the celebrity chef when he was made aware of the offer.

"I received a call from a number overseas and I couldn't quite make out the accent on the phone."The woman informed me Mr Ramsey wanted to get involved with a grassroots organisation in Wales, and I must have got my wires crossed."

The footballer's donation comes just days after he pledged £10,000 to a fundraiser for the NHS.

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Here's a round-up of the key updates so far today:

• First Minister Mark Drakeford says the spread of Covid-19 “continues to accelerate” in Wales

• A further 563 patients with coronavirus have died across the UK, taking the total number of deaths in hospitals to 2,352, with 98 in Wales
• There were 274 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales, taking the total number to 1,837, according to today's update from Public Health Wales
• A letter sent to patients with life-limiting illnesses asking them to complete a "do not resuscitate" form was "shameful and unacceptable", the older people's commissioner for Wales says
• An intensive care consultant at the Royal Gwent Hospital says her unit is full of 20, 30 and 40-year-olds being treated for coronavirus

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Wimbledon has been cancelled for the first time since World War Two because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The world's oldest tennis championships were due to be played between 29 June and 12 July.

Wimbledon is the latest major summer sporting event to be called off, with Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics postponed for 12 months.

It follows the postponement of the French Open, which was due to begin in May but has been rescheduled to 20 September-4 October.

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Welsh Rugby Union [WRU] chairman Gareth Davies says the policy of pay cuts for WRU bosses and coaches will be rolled out to the professional game.

Chief executive Martyn Phillips and Wales head coach Wayne Pivac are among those who will take a 25% pay cut while others will have a 10% reduction.

"This policy is also to be extended to the professional game across Wales," Davies explained.

Negotiations are ongoing on player salary and regional rugby cuts.

What actually is the coronavirus? How might it affect you? What can you do to prevent it?

The company involved in a collapsed deal to supply Covid-19 testing equipment to the Welsh health service was Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche, the first minister has confirmed.

“We did have a deal, it was a deal that we had with Roche," Mark Drakeford said on Wednesday, responding to a question from Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price.

“We believe that it was a deal that ought to have been honoured.

"We now have access to a supply of tests from a consortium of suppliers that will give us a considerable uplift in testing here in Wales."

It emerged over the weekend a Welsh Government deal with a firm to provide 5,000 extra tests a day had collapsed.

Ministers have said it was "disappointing" that a company was not able to honour a written agreement.

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Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price welcomed the first minister’s decision to name Roche as the company involved but said more information was needed.

“We still don’t know why the deal collapsed in the first place.

“It is in the public interest that the Welsh Government and Roche tell us what exactly happened to make the agreement fail," he said.

Asked on Tuesday if the firm involved was Roche, Health Minister Vaughan Gething had declined to name the firm.

Roche, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, said at the time it "does not have, and has never had, a contract or agreement directly with Wales to supply testing for COVID-19".

Householders are being warned not to fall victim to a scam from cold callers falsely claiming they have to pay to have their black bag rubbish collected.

"You do not have to pay to have your black bin emptied," said a statement, external from Flintshire council.

"If you receive a call such as this put the phone down immediately, do not engage with the scammers."

Image source, Getty Images

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The coronavirus crisis is having a huge impact on young people with existing mental health conditions, a survey has found.

The loss of routine, school closures and exam cancellations are all factors, as well as health concerns.

For teenagers on the verge of independence, losing their freedom can be hard.

Ligia and her family have been self-isolating since 18 March, because her mother is heavily pregnant.

As someone who was always out, seeing friends and working, she has found it challenging to be stuck in a flat with four people.

"Since going into isolation my anxiety has really increased," Ligia says.

"It often comes really unexpectedly. I have trouble breathing and thinking straight. It's just a sense of all-over-the-place-ness."

The first minister says "we stand at the foothills of the mountain that faces us” in the coronavirus crisis.

Speaking in a video-conference “emergency" Senedd session, Mark Drakeford said the spread of Covid-19 “continues to accelerate” in Wales.

“The last week has seen a significant increase in the number of people requiring hospital treatment and a further increase in the number of deaths associated with the disease," he said.

“The measures put in place over the past two weeks will slow the pace of the virus, but that effect will not be felt immediately.

“The number of people who will be affected and the number of deaths will grow further.

“The key thing remains that everything we do together to slow down and then reverse that trend will save lives.”

Mr Drakeford said assistance from the armed forces was available to the Welsh Government’s “emergency co-ordinating centre” and to public services.

Volunteer numbers have passed 30,000 in Wales, he added.

The first minister also said he was grateful to Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price and Welsh Conservative group leader Paul Davies for agreeing to join the Welsh Government’s cabinet Covid group, which receives regular updates from NHS chiefs in Wales.

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Hard-pressed supermarket workers are being handed thank-you bonuses by bosses.

Marks & Spencer is the latest chain to reward workers with an extra 15% pay.

Aldi, Sainsbury's and Tesco have already promised staff an extra 10%, while Asda will give its staff an extra week's pay in June, which works out as a 25% bonus for the month.

Bosses say they are rewarding "dedication and commitment" and "outstanding work".

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Swansea City have asked the majority of non-playing staff to be placed on furlough as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Championship club are the latest to utilise the UK Government scheme to protect jobs amid the crisis.

The move allows up to 80% of wages to be covered during football's suspension.

Swansea say they will top up the remaining 20% so staff retain their full wages "for the immediate future".

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Two opposition group leaders in the Welsh Assembly are to join the Welsh Government’s Covid group, the first minister has said.

Mark Drakeford said he was “very grateful” to Tory group leader Paul Davies and Plaid Cymru's Adam Price for accepting his invitation.

The Covid group meets every Wednesday morning to receive reports of the latest developments from the chief medical officer and the NHS Wales chief executive.