Coronavirus in Wales: New lockdown measures 'may be needed in winter'

Some lockdown measures may have to be reintroduced in the winter, Health Minister Vaughan Gething has warned.

A top Welsh Government official said there was a "real prospect" of a resurgence of the virus later in the year.

Mr Gething said it will depend on the prevalence of coronavirus .

Meanwhile the minister announced NHS health boards are looking at how they can restart planned NHS operations and cancer services.

Speaking at the Welsh Government's daily press briefing, Mr Gething said more details would be published on Wednesday.

On Monday restrictions in Wales were relaxed so people from two different households could meet outdoors, but it is only if they travel in a local area.

You can exercise more than once a day in Wales as long as you socially distance

Why winter?

Frank Atherton, the chief medical officer for Wales, has warned of a "real prospect of a resurgence in viral transmission in the autumn and winter".

In a statement on the recent review of the lockdown regulations, he said the virus is "likely to thrive in cooler, indoor environments particularly where people gather closely together".

He recommended that messages to the public highlight "the potential need to re-impose more restrictive measures in the winter if viral activity increases".

Lockdown is reviewed every three weeks.

Dr Atherton also called for the Welsh Government to use "the next review period to develop proposals for further increasing opportunities for the public to safely use a wider range of outdoor spaces".

People from two different households will be able to meet from Monday

What did Vaughan Gething say?

"Some of the measures we've been able to unlock are because the time of year we're in," Mr Gething told the press conference.

But it was also because of the fact coronavirus lasts "a lot less in direct sunlight outdoors, but it lasts much longer on indoor surfaces".

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"So we do need to think about the fact that we may have to reintroduce some lockdown measures in the winter," the minister said.

"That depends on the reservoir of coronavirus that exists, it depends on people's behaviour, as well"

There is not a "hard or fast set of measures to reintroduce," he added. "but we'll have to look at the evidence that we get".

NHS 'open for business'

Mr Gething said it was "really important" that people were not afraid to access non-Covid related health services during the pandemic.

The minister said people were still avoiding seeking medical care because they have been worried about going to hospital.

Non-urgent surgery and appointments were cancelled in Wales in March to maximise capacity to deal with the Coronavirus outbreak.

But emergency and urgent care services have continued to operate.

Officials have repeatedly urged people to access NHS services if they need them

Mr Gething said: "It's really important people don't put off urgent or emergency treatment - the NHS is there to help everyone."

He said daily attendances at A&E departments were a third lower and the biggest decrease in activity had been among children under 16, where activity had more than halved.

Responding to a question about the build up of waiting lists for non-Covid illnesses and whether this would clash with a second wave of the virus, Mr Gething said plans were in place to look at how normal NHS services may resume soon.

Mr Gething added that an upcoming review of the coronavirus field hospitals in Wales would provide "a more strategic view on how we can make use of the capacity we've created without compromising our ability to respond to a potential further peak in coronavirus".

The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) said some routine operations have become urgent as a result of elective surgeries being suspended to tackle the coronavirus.

Richard Johnson, director of RCS in Wales, said: "I think prior to the pandemic we did have a long waiting list in Wales anyway and obviously, with the effect of the pandemic and turning off elective surgery, the length of time people are waiting has increased.

"Unfortunately, in some situations - unfortunate from the patient point of view - some of their symptoms will deteriorate and the need for surgery becomes more urgent."