The very lockdown measures, which will begin to be released in Wales on Christmas Eve, will last until mid-January.
First Minister Mark Drackford announced yesterday that Wales is heading for its second lockdown since Christmas in response to a steady increase in coronavirus cases, moving to a new and higher – warning level four.
The situation will be reviewed every three weeks, meaning it will be January 18 as soon as the warning level four can be changed.
All non-essential retail, including nearby contact services and fitness and leisure centers, will close at the end of business on Christmas Eve.
All hospitality business will be closed on Christmas Day from 6 p.m.
And Bank Holiday Monday, December 28, at the end of the five-day Christmas period, strict restrictions on domestic mixing, travel, stay at home and holiday accommodation will be enforced.
The next date is when the warning level four formally comes into operation.
The ministers have made the point that in order to come out of the lockdown at different times, a set of national measures is being taken in Wales.
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“We will review the rules after three weeks,” Mr. Drakefor said yesterday.
“If some parts of Wales have established themselves as being reliably and sustainably in a different position, that moment we will see if it is appropriate to introduce some regional discrimination.
“But until then we won’t know, and those changes will be exactly what is needed – sustainable and reliable.”
The Welsh government’s coronavirus control plan, released earlier this week, outlines what action the Welsh government will take when it comes time to review the lockdown.
Looking at the rolling seven-day Wells-wide case rate per 100,000 population is the highest measure. For the seven days leading up to 11 December – Public Health Wales’ most recent figure is not affected by the under-reporting issue associated with data system maintenance and upgrades – the figure is 377.8.
In order for Wales to move to three levels, and thus reopen businesses, the seven-day rolling rate should be between 150 and 300 per 100,000 population.
Confirmed case rates from the S0s should not indicate rapid growth to come down to three levels, and should not be expected to significantly increase future case creation rates in the next two weeks.
In Wales, over a seven-day period, a test positivity rate of between five and 10 per cent is required. From the latest figures from Public Health Wells, which is currently 20.5 per cent.
Estimates of coronavirus should be between 0.75 per cent and one per cent of the population in Wales.
For all these factors, the Welsh government will also consider the rates of change of these figures.
Concerns about the hospital’s capacity in the future and the pressure of increasing cases will also be a factor in the four-five weeks, and the concerns of local health professionals will also be taken into account.
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