Mark Drakeford says Wales ‘on the last lap out of the pandemic’

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The first minister said Wales was now in the “last stage” of its exit from the coronavirus pandemic.

Mark Drakeford, speaking during the Welsh government’s press conference on Friday, said the public could have “some confidence” that we are now past the worst that the virus can offer.

However, he did not rule out some “unpleasant surprises” along the way including new variants that could avoid protecting our vaccines.

READ MORE: Covid live updates as Mark Drakeford outlines Wales move to alert level zero

The Welsh government announced Thursday night that the country will act on a zero alert from 6am on Saturday – the highest level of freedom people have seen since March 2020.

At alert level zero, there are no legal restrictions on the number of people who can meet in private homes, public places, or on events. The few remaining businesses that were required to close, including nightclubs, will be able to reopen.

But face coverings will still be required in most indoor public places, including public transport and stores, although it will not be a legal requirement in hospitality venues where food and drink is served.

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When asked if Wales is now in the “final game” in its fight against the coronavirus, Mr Drakeford said: “Provided that we don’t see more unexpected twists in the virus’ trajectory, I think we can be confident we are in the final lap of the pandemic.”

“But we cannot assume that the virus may not yet have more unpleasant surprises for us. That was the date of 18 months. Did a new variant appear – or that the virus took a turn in which vaccination was less effective than we have today – then inevitably we will have to to face the consequences of this and take measures to address them.

“While things remain the same, as we continue to make the contribution we can make, I think we can have some confidence that today’s latest steps out of the coronavirus put us on that path beyond and into the future.”

In his opening remarks, which you can read in full here, the Prime Minister stressed that ending restrictions does not mean “freedom for all”.

“This is especially important for people who are clinically at risk and for all people who continue to work carefully to protect their health and others,” he said.

Wells moves to alert level zero

“As we continue to do so, we can all enjoy personal liberties with confidence, there are still important safeguards in place to ensure our public health is protected.”

Also from Saturday, all fully vaccinated adults under the age of 18 will not have to self-isolate if they are identified as having close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid.

But everyone – whether vaccinated or not – should self-isolate if they develop symptoms or if they test positive.

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