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At least three more weeks of lockdown, First Minister confirms

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FIRST MINISTER Mark Drakeford said he hopes the country has entered the last three weeks of the “stay-at-home” requirement.

Mr Drakeford said any lockdown change depends on case rates falling and it was too soon to say if people will be able to travel beyond their local area.

He also said he hoped primary school children aged eight and over may be able to return to school from 15 March if Covid cases continued to fall. From Saturday (Feb 20) the number of people who can exercise together outdoors will be increased from two to four, although they must be from a maximum of two households.

Exercise must still start and finish at home. From Monday (Mar 1), licensed wedding venues will be able to reopen, in line with current rules for register offices.

Also more elite sport athletes will be able to return to training, and more visits to care homes will be considered Mr Drakeford said: “If in three weeks’ time the numbers are still falling, the positivity rate is falling, the R number’s below one, hospital pressures continue to reduce, then I hope we’ll be able to move beyond ‘stay at home’.”

He said it was “too uncertain” to say how far restrictions on movement might be eased, but he suggested a “stay local” arrangement, similar to local lockdowns which were imposed in the autumn, was a possibility.

While Wales’ case rate is at its lowest since September, the government said tight restrictions were still needed to ensure a safe return to school. The Conservatives called for a “road map to recovery” and for “rough timescales” for reopening some of the hardest-hit sectors.

Talks are taking place about reopening tourism in time for Easter, with bed and breakfasts and hotels with room service likely to be prioritised.

Talks will also begin with non-essential shops about the prospects of reopening.

Mr Drakeford warned there would not be a “wholesale” reopening of shops. Responding to the latest review of Coronavirus regulations by the Welsh Government, Darren Hughes, director of the Welsh NHS Confederation said: “It is clear that we need to lift restrictions slowly and carefully.

While we all want to see an end to restrictions, the NHS in Wales is still coming under high levels of pressure. We need the capacity to be able to look after you and your families and get the Welsh population vaccinated as quickly as we can.

“The NHS in Wales recognises how important it is to get children and students back to school, but this needs to be done cautiously to ensure we don’t see an impact on infection rates.

“We continue to see positive signs that Coronavirus rates are falling in Wales, and we are starting to see a reduction in the number of patients in hospital with Covid. “As more of the most vulnerable groups receive their vaccinations, we can start to look towards a brighter future.

“We’re grateful to our frontline staff, our partners in the public sector and the Welsh public, who have all worked so hard to drive down the rate of infection. We know the restrictions are hard for people and we continue to encourage anyone to come forward for help if you need it, whether that be for your physical or mental health.”

Regarding schools, children aged between three and seven – those in the foundation phase – are returning to school from Monday.

The next review will look at all primary pupils, and some older students preparing for exams, returning to schools and colleges from 15 March. That includes years 11 and 13, and students doing similar qualifications in college, returning in a safe and ‘flexible’ way.

Reacting to news that the Welsh government will consider non-essential retail in a review on 11 March, James Barnes, Chairman of the HTA, said: “With the busiest season for horticultural businesses about to start, the First Minister’s statement today leaves us with very little room for manoeuvre  and anxious to see garden centres opened on 11 March.

“Our members – growers and retailers alike – need certainty around opening dates and the key trading occasion of Mother’s Day will be even more important after such a difficult period which will now include closure on St David’s Day.

“We recognise the part we have to play in seeing this pandemic brought under control and have revisited our Safer Trading Guidance so that garden centres, which naturally lend themselves to Covid-secure trading with open and airy spaces, continue to provide one of the safest retail environments.

“Plants and gardening contribute to health and wellbeing and provide activities which have helped people safeguard their wellbeing and kept them occupied at home during lockdown. We call on the Welsh government to recognise the valuable contribution horticulture has to make as the country begins the process of recovering from the pandemic, by enabling garden centres to trade again as soon as possible.”

Responding to the announcement by the Welsh Government, Dr David Bailey, BMA Cymru Wales council chair said: “We welcome the Welsh Government’s continued cautious approach to easing restrictions. Whilst there are hugely encouraging signs that we’re successfully tackling the virus with lower case rates and with the progress made on the vaccine roll out, we must continue to move slowly and be vigilant particularly with the threat of new variants.

“If we can contain the spread of new variants now there is less opportunity for them to create a new wave of cases which may also make the current vaccine less effective.

“Ultimately, we want to see more people vaccinated to protect our most vulnerable and reduce the pressure on the NHS before we can move forward to ensure there is capacity to treat severe COVID-19 infections, as well as successfully and safely providing non-COVID care to all those who need it.

“Alongside this we need to ensure rapid roll-out of the second dose of the vaccine for all healthcare workers to ensure maximum protection for staff and patients”

 

COUNCIL LEADER’S UPDATE

Pembrokeshire County Council Leader, Councillor David Simpson, has provided a further coronavirus update

He said: ‘Like me I’m sure you are finding time is marching on at such a rate that it is almost hard to believe we are now entering the last week of February.

‘I have really noticed that the days are drawing out which is always a sign that spring is on its way. Spring time brings us all hope that better days are ahead, it has been a very long year with so many restrictions in our daily lives.

‘However, we have all worked hard together and we need to continue in the same direction.

Council Leader, David Simpson:

‘It is pleasing to see so many people now receiving the vaccine and the rate of vaccination in Pembrokeshire continues to highlight the huge effort put in by everyone.

‘As of Wednesday 33,828 vaccinations have been carried out in Pembrokeshire. That is 26.9% of the population. We are getting there steadily.

‘Today (Friday) we have had an update from the First Minister in relation to the restrictions and the current situation in relation to the pandemic.

‘As set out by the First Minister it is clear that although we are seeing an improvement there is still a long way to go and we all need to continue to keep safe.

‘As an authority we will now be reviewing the latest Welsh Government guidance and I will update you next week on our position.

‘Next week we will also see our schools reopening to Foundation Phase learners. Our education team will be reviewing and keeping a close eye on how the phased re-opening goes and reviewing any further guidance from the Welsh Government.

‘The best place to find details about what will be happening at your child/children’s school will be on their school website and social media.

‘With the vaccinations continuing and the first learners going back to school things are improving, but we still need to follow the guidance and keep driving infections down.

‘I want to wish you all a nice weekend, soon it will be time to start working on the gardens and enjoy seeing flowers and trees bloom – better days are ahead.

 

Business

Stephen Crabb leads inquiry on retaining community bank services  

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PRESELI Pembrokeshire MP, and Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee Stephen Crabb is leading an inquiry in Parliament that will investigate the closure of high street banks in Wales, as well as access to cash.

In November 2023, Pembrokeshire saw the closure of Lloyds Bank in St Davids, and in the coming months both Barclays Bank and Halifax in Haverfordwest are set to close. In recent years, Wales has experienced a rapid decline in the number of high street banking services available to the public. Already in 2024, 23 high street bank closures have been announced in Wales, while automated teller machines (ATMs) declined by nearly a quarter between 2018 and 2023.

The Committee willconsider how declining high street banking services are impacting vulnerable people and small businesses across Wales, who are often more reliant on cash than digital banking. It will also examine how Wales is being affected by the loss of high street bank services, and whether the problem is worse in Wales than other parts of the UK.

Mr Crabb is a staunch advocate for retaining community banking facilities, especially in rural communities like Pembrokeshire where many local branches remain the only source of face-to-face banking provision for miles.

Recently Mr Crabb challenged Barclays Bank senior management on their decision to close the bank branch in Haverfordwest– a move that will see Barclays not only pull out of the county town, but means they won’t have a branch left anywhere in Pembrokeshire. He has also engaged with LINK – the UK’s largest cash machine network – and continues to campaign on the basis that a Banking Hub is established and that ATM machines should be retained or installed, especially in areas worst affected by the closures.  

Following the launch of the inquiry, MP Crabb added: “It is really sad to see so many banks across Wales closing as online banking grows in popularity. Despite the advantages of online banking, for a rural community with an ageing population like Pembrokeshire, bank branches hold huge importance as they offer face-to-face customer service.”

“I am acutely aware of the inconvenience that the bank closures locally have already caused following hundreds of replies from constituents to my ‘online banking survey’ ”

“I am looking forward to gathering further evidence on this subject through the committee’s inquiry, and will continue to put pressure on the relevant stakeholders to ensure that adequate alternative provisions are made through the establishment of banking hubs as well as the instalment of ATM machines where necessary.”

“In this inquiry, we are particularly keen to hear from those likely to be directly affected by the shift away from cash and physical banks. I encourage anyone with first-hand experience of losing banking services to give evidence to the Committee”

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Business

Trains resume between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock as works end

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TRAIN services resumed this morning (Thursday 28 March) after ten days of essential round-the-clock work to upgrade track and drainage between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock.

The railway was closed from Monday 18 March to Wednesday 27 March to allow Network Rail teams to replace more than 200 metres of track and 300 tonnes of ballast (track stones) between Pembroke station and Pembroke Dock.

Work to improve the drainage between Narbeth and Kilgetty stations was also completed at the same time.

Nick Millington, Network Rail Wales and Borders route director, said: “This essential work in Pembrokeshire demonstrates our commitment to improving the reliability of the service we provide to passengers along our route.

“We know that replacing the track can be disruptive and very noisy, so I would like to thank the residents of Pembroke for their patience while our team carried out this crucial work.”

Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director at Transport for Wales said: “We’re pleased that our colleagues in Network Rail have completed this essential work and that Transport for Wales rail services resumed today.

“We’d like to thank passengers for their patience while this work has progressed and look forward to welcoming passengers back in time for the Easter weekend.”

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News

Welsh Water has increased sewage discharges into waterways ‘by 40%’

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NEW figures released by the Environment Agency have shown that Dwr Cymru discharged sewage into waterways for a staggering 23,354 hours last year, a 40% increase on 2022. 

The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling for tougher action against sewage dumping in Welsh waterways.

The party has also called for a halt on bonuses for water company bosses whose firms have dumped sewage into waterways.

Conservative MPs have consistently voted against measures which would have helped to tackle the crisis.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said: “It is a complete scandal that filthy sewage is being pumped into our nation’s rivers and waterways without consequence.

“It’s beggars’ belief that both the UK Conservative Government and the Welsh Labour government are allowing water firms to get away with this environmental vandalism.

“We as a party are calling for tougher action to stop sewage being dumped in local waterways. We have also called for a halt on bonuses for water company fat cats whose firms have pumped filth into our waterways.”

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