Covid passes: ministers consider expanding use in Wales

Welsh ministers will consider extending the use of Covid passes to a wider range of locations.

The health minister said the government is “thinking” about the change because it is “very” concerned about the high levels of Covid-19.

The move was considered after mandatory NHS Covid-19 passes were introduced to allow people to legally participate in large events or nightclubs in Wales.

Plaid Cymru wants the rules to be tightened. The Tories are against further restrictions.

The Covid-19 case rate in Wales is the highest of all UK nations.

Speaking on BBC Politics Wales, Health Minister Eluned Morgan said high levels of broadcasting are putting pressure on public services.

“People need to take some time off to deal with the coronavirus because they could get sick, it’s putting pressure on the health service because some of our staff are also suffering,” he said.

The Welsh government will review Covid-19 rules next week ahead of an announcement on Friday.

Morgan said ministers will try to “see how we can absolutely make the most of the measures we already have in place.”

“There is more we can do, for example, by working from home,” he said.

“There is more we can do to make sure people actually wear their face shields in public places indoors and we will see if vaccine passports may need to be distributed. [Covid passes] to other situations “.

According to the latest data, Covid-19 case rates have reached a new high in Wales.

However, unlike previous peaks, more asymptomatic people are tested.

There are 716.9 cases per 100,000 people, up from 681.9 cases on Thursday, the highest recorded previously.

Data from Public Health Wales (PHW) also shows that there have been 12 more deaths from Covid, bringing the total to 6,086.

Data released on Sunday, which covers the 24-hour period up to 09:00 on Friday, also showed a further 3,152 new positive cases, bringing the total of positive tests in Wales to 418,980.

Covid passes show that people have tested negative on a lateral flow test, have been fully vaccinated against Covid, or have had confirmation of a positive test within the past six months, followed by the appropriate isolation period. Currently the following are compulsory for those over 18 years of age:

PHW has started publishing data on the launch of the vaccine booster program, with 61% of NHS staff and 58.1% of nursing home workers receiving a third vaccination.

The health minister said the launch of the booster “is going according to plan, but we are seeing if there is anything we can do to increase the pace.”

Plaid Cymru’s health spokesman, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said: “I cannot overstate how concerned he is about the high case rates we are currently seeing in Wales.

“I criticized the government last week for saying that the situation is stable; this is a skyrocketing number of cases and we need to make sure that everything possible is done to, yes, tighten things up for winter.

“I’m not talking about large-scale blockades, nobody wants that, but we have to look at everything that can be done in schools about ventilation, the launch of the CO2 monitor, the use of masks.”

Russell George MS, Health spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives, said: “We don’t want to be in a place where we are talking about further restrictions on our lives.

“I think now we have to be in a position where we all have to think about keeping ourselves safe and using reasonable measures.”