Summary

  • Wales has spent 100 days in lockdown since businesses, shops and schools were closed to limit the spread of the virus

  • A man from Newport with a heart condition and diabetes tells how he has been targeted by three different Covid-19 scammers

  • Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveils plans to "build, build, build" the UK's way out of post-virus economic crisis

  • Paralympian champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson calls for a date when leisure centres in Wales should reopen, warning of the "social cost" of continued closure

  • On Tuesday, another three people with coronavirus were reported to have died in Wales, taking the official total to 1,510

  1. Thank you and goodbyepublished at 15:02 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    That’s all from our live page coverage of coronavirus in Wales today.

    Here are the main developments:

    Have a good evening and stay safe and well - we'll be back with more live page coverage tomorrow.

  2. Mortuary won't be mothballed in case of second wavepublished at 15:00 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    A temporary mortuary serving the whole of north Wales will not be mothballed as health chiefs say they want to be prepared for a potential second wave of coronavirus.

    Conwy County Borough Council offered industrial units on Mochdre Commerce Park back in April to use as a temporary mortuary to ease the pressure on hospitals ahead of any potential surge in deaths due to Covid-19.

    The mortuary had been left on standby as the crisis eased.

    A council spokeswoman said: “Whilst we’re all hoping for the best, we must plan for the worst case scenario, which includes the potential for a second wave, and keeping this facility is part of those arrangements."

  3. Anglesey schools to reopen on Monday 13 Julypublished at 14:52 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Anglesey school classrooms will open for the last week of term on Monday 13 July, under the Welsh Government's plans for pupils to catch up with their learning.

    The authority has not reopened schools this week as others have because of the coronavirus outbreak at the 2 Sisters food processing plant at Llangefni.

    However, Public Health Wales has confirmed there is no evidence the outbreak has led to significant transmission throughout the wider community.

    Schools will now contact parents outlining the offer available for all children, from reception age, as they return to their classrooms for the last week of the summer term.

    Anglesey's director of education, skills and young people, Rhys Howard Hughes, said: "Ultimately, parents will have to make the decision on whether their children return – but I want to reassure them that we are working with partners to make our schools as safe as possible.”

    Pupils washing their handsImage source, PA Media
  4. 'I'm working - not sunbathing beside a palm tree'published at 14:37 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Coronavirus has revolutionised work for thousands of people who have discovered they can work from home as effectively as the office.

    But Rhodri Francis has discovered he can work just as easily in Thailand.

    He became stuck when his family arrived mid-March to attend the Songkran Festival - one of the most important dates in the Buddhist calendar.

    The family has been unable to return home to Llanilar, near Aberystwyth, because of lockdown.

    "Everyone thinks I'm sunbathing beside a palm tree but I work normally," says Mr Francis, who works for Ceredigion council on a project promoting the Welsh language.

    "I might as well be here rather than Llanilar."

    Rhodri Francis with wife NoiImage source, Rhodri Francis
    Image caption,

    Rhodri Francis is in Thailand with wife Noi and daughter Yanisha

  5. How's school going?published at 14:30 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    BBC Radio Wales

    Huw Lloyd, head teacher of Ebbw Fawr 3-16 School in Ebbw Vale, says Monday’s return “went really well” for pupils and staff.

    “We had a really positive day just checking in with the children,” he told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast with Claire Summers.

    “It was really great to see them and they were really happy to see us.”

    The school has been operating as a hub for children of key workers so has grown accustomed to social-distancing rules.

    "I'm feeling positive about the next three weeks,” he said.

    At least three-quarters of Wales' state schools return for three weeks with others open for four, but not all schools reopened on Monday.

    BBC Wales also spent the morning at Marlborough Primary School in Cardiff to see how it would work.

    Marlborough Primary in Cardiff
  6. Self-isolation: Minister says people 'need to take this seriously'published at 14:20 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    The Welsh Government has powers to legally enforce people to self-isolate but it is not an approach it wants to take, according to Health Minister Vaughan Gething.

    He was asked whether penalties would be imposed if people decided not to self-isolate after being contacted by contact-tracing teams.

    Mr Gething said: “People do need to take this seriously.

    "It isn't a case of if you’ve been advised to self-isolate, you can nip out to the shops as long as you’re quick and wear a mask.

    "You’re still a risk to yourself and to other people.”

    The minister told the Welsh Government's daily briefing that, while he understood the “dilemma” for workers who are concerned about paying bills if asked to self-isolate, “the wrong form of action could have a greater cost for us all”.

  7. Where in Wales deaths with coronavirus have happenedpublished at 14:12 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Three more people with coronavirus have died in Wales, Public Health Wales has said, taking the official total to 1,510.

    The health board area with the highest number of deaths is Betsi Cadwaladr in north Wales.

    Map showing deaths with coronavirus in the Welsh health board areas
  8. Daily deaths with coronavirus in Walespublished at 14:07 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Another three people with coronavirus in Wales have died, Public Health Wales said on Tuesday, taking the official total to 1,510.

    The long-term trend in the daily number of deaths has been declining from its mid-April peak.

    This graph shows deaths according to the day they occurred, rather than the day they were announced.

    Chart showing deaths by date of people with coronavirus in Wales
  9. Three more deaths with coronavirus in Walespublished at 13:57 British Summer Time 30 June 2020
    Breaking

    Three more people with coronavirus are reported to have died in Wales, taking the official total to 1,510.

    Public Health Wales (PHW) figures also showed there were 26 new cases reported, meaning 15,743 people have tested positive for Covid-19.

    Coronavirus graphic
  10. Wrexham school closures ruled out despite food factory outbreakpublished at 13:46 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething has ruled out school closures in Wrexham following a coronavirus outbreak affecting staff at Rowan Foods in the town.

    "We don't have evidence of community transmission," he told Tuesday's Welsh Government coronavirus briefing.

    "There is no evidence for closing schools in Wrexham at present."

    Mr Gething said 237 people have tested positive at Rowan Foods in Wrexham with more than 1,100 people tested.

    One Wrexham primary school - St Mary's in Brymbo - did not reopen on Monday after a positive case was identified, but there is no suggestion it is linked to Rowan Foods.

    Schools on Anglesey remain closed for now after a coronavirus outbreak at the 2 Sisters meat processing factory in Llangefni.

    Rowan Foods factory
    Image caption,

    More than 230 people have tested positive for Covid-19 at Rowan Foods

  11. Is Leicester the first of many local lockdowns?published at 13:34 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Crowds in LeicesterImage source, PA Media

    Leicester has become the first part of the UK to experience a local lockdown.

    While the rest of the country is seeing restrictions easing, the city has gone into reverse. Shops are shutting and schools will follow suit on Thursday.

    How did this happen? And what does it tell us about how well the virus is under control in the UK?

    Health Correspondent Nick Triggle takes a closer look.

  12. Review of Covid-19 deaths to help 'continue learning'published at 13:25 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Wales' health minister has said it was important to “continue learning” from the choices government has made in the “first phase” of coronavirus.

    Vaughan Gething said he expects ministers will need to “consider further action” in the months ahead.

    He has ordered a review of coronavirus deaths in Wales to analyse the spread of the disease and to see what can be learned about government action so far.

    Wales is now 100 days into lockdown after the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic.

    “There'll be plenty of people who have the opportunity to look back in time to understand how we've done,” he told Tuesday’s Welsh Government daily coronavirus briefing.

    “We'll be open about the review and what it means, and then open about what that means for future choices that I and other decision-taking ministers will need to take.”

  13. UK ministers 'looking down the back of departmental sofas'published at 13:21 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Asked for his reaction to the prime minister’s economic recovery speech earlier on Tuesday, Wales' Health Minister Vaughan Gething said there wasn't “a single penny of new investment for Wales”.

    Boris Johnson earlier unveiled UK government plans to soften the economic impact of coronavirus with a promise to "build, build, build".

    Speaking during the daily Welsh Government coronavirus press conference, Mr Gething said the UK government was “simply looking down the back of departmental sofas to repackage that money".

    Mr Gething added he would “welcome” additional capital spending ”but that was not what today’s speech by the prime minister represents".

    Boris JohnsonImage source, AFP/Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Political opponents said Boris Johnson's economic recovery plan did not include any new money

  14. Paralympian pushes for leisure reopening datepublished at 13:14 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Paralympian champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson has called on the first minister to name a date to reopen leisure centres in Wales.

    She has warned in a letter that there could be "social costs" of £97m if gyms stayed closed for six months.

    Baroness Grey-Thompson said it was vital for the nation's health and wellbeing, and has said she struggled to understand why in England it has been deemed safer to go pubs, which are reopening on 4 July, rather than to the gym.

    It is understood Mark Drakeford has not formally replied to her letter yet.

    But a spokesman for the Welsh Government said: "Given the higher risk of transmission of Covid-19 within leisure centres, they could only be reopened safely when we are in the green phase of our traffic light system for lifting restrictions."

    Tanni Grey-ThompsonImage source, Getty Images
  15. 'Opportunity' to open hospital ahead of schedulepublished at 13:11 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Wales's health minister says he’s “looking at the opportunity” to open a new hospital near Cwmbran ahead of schedule.

    Vaughan Gething said funding for the Grange University Hospital had been “accelerated” so it could be used as a potential field hospital during the pandemic and there was a “choice” now about whether it could be available for the winter.

    However he added that wasn’t “necessarily” in preparation for a potential second wave of the virus. It had been due to open next spring.

    Speaking at the Welsh Government’s daily press conference, Mr Gething said: "It isn't a question of coronavirus driving those decisions but there is a potential benefit in our overall system capacity and resilience if we were able to do so.

    “But these are difficult questions given the constrained capital budget we continue to face in our response to coronavirus.”

    Vaughan Gething
  16. Dentistry services moving to 'amber' phasepublished at 13:03 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Asked about reopening dentists and opticians, Wales' health minister said: “We’re moving as swiftly as it’s safe to do so."

    Vaughan Gething told today’s coronavirus press conference that dentists will be able to “prioritise patients” but he said that “we’re not in a position to be able to offer routine appointments”.

    More dental care will be available for patients from Wednesday.

    Mr Gething said the situation was “helping to reinforce what we want to do more generally with dentistry and have a greater sense of priority - a clinical need - in the way we deliver the whole service.”

    Dentistry was moving from the "red" phase to the "amber" phase quicker than had been anticipated, the minister added.

    “We’re honestly and practically reviewing the evidence about when we can make further steps forward because I recognise a greater access to all NHS services has a real benefit, and there is harm caused by lockdown and restrictive measures.”

    DentistImage source, Getty Images
  17. UK economy hit by worse contraction in 41 yearspublished at 12:55 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    The UK economy shrank more than was first thought between January and March, contracting 2.2% in the joint largest fall since 1979, official figures show.

    The Office for National Statistics (ONS) revised its previous estimate of a 2% contraction, with all the main economic sectors dropping.

    There was a significant economic impact in March, as the coronavirus pandemic began to have an effect.

    Graph
  18. Update on coronavirus cases at food factoriespublished at 12:45 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Health Minister Vaughan Gething says there's no indication of community transmission around the coronavirus outbreaks linked to three food processing plants in Wales.

    Speaking at the Welsh Government's daily coronavirus briefing, Mr Gething gave the latest information on Covid-19 testing at the three plants:

    • 216 people have tested positive at the 2 Sisters plant in Llangefni, Anglesey, and the plant remains closed
    • 237 people have tested positive at Rowan Foods in Wrexham with more than 1,100 people having been tested
    • 130 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed at Kepak in Merthyr Tydfil since April - 101 cases were confirmed from the 810 people who were tested on Saturday

    The minister said people would be concerned but "a huge amount of testing has gone on as part of the work to rapidly investigate and contain these outbreaks".

    He said: "We are closely monitoring for any signs of wider spread into the community – the increase in numbers is not an indication there is transmission beyond the people employed in these plants."

  19. Border pub stays shut as others reopenpublished at 12:32 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    A landlord whose pub is just metres from the Powys-Shropshire border is facing the prospect of staying shut within sight of two reopened pubs in England.

    Drinkers in Llanymynech, which straddles England and Wales, will be able to return to the Cross Keys and Bradford Arms on Saturday.

    But the nearby Dolphin Inn will remain shut until the Welsh Government allows pubs to reopen.

    Landlord John Turner said the situation was "quite bizarre".

    Asked what he planned to do on Saturday, Mr Turner said he would "pop over to the pubs at some point and see the other landlords".

    "We have never competed," he said.

    "At the end of the day it's a fantastic community village."

    John TurnerImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    John Turner will give rival pubs his custom while his own remains closed

  20. Health minister to give coronavirus updatepublished at 12:27 British Summer Time 30 June 2020

    Health Minister Vaughan Gething is is due to lead the Welsh Government's daily coronavirus briefing from 12:30 BST.

    We'll update you on the key points here - you can also watch the briefing live on BBC One Wales, on the BBC iPlayer, and via the Coronavirus Daily Update link above.

    Vaughan GethingImage source, Getty Images