Wales has announced new measures to limit the spread of Omicron, including introducing the rule of six in hospitality venues, as First Minister, Mark Drakeford, said the Omicron variant is now dominant in Wales. He announced today (Wednesday), that the new rules will apply from Boxing Day, and that "Wales will reopen after Christmas, but in order to do so safely we have to do everything we can to go on protecting ourselves and taking care of others."
The measures include:
- The rule of six in all gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas, and theatres.
- A requirement of two-metre social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces, where reasonable.
- Face coverings to be required in hospitality settings at all times apart from when seated.
- All licensed premises will need to take additional measures to protect customers and staff, including table service and collecting contact details.
- Large events will not be allowed indoors or outdoors. The maximum number of people who can gather at an indoor event will be 30 and 50 outdoors, including in private homes and gardens.
- There will be an exception for team sports, up to 50 spectators will be able to gather, in addition to those taking part. There is also an exception for events involving children.
- Nightclubs will also close on Boxing Day.
Mr Drakeford said: "We are facing a very serious situation in Wales. A wave of infections caused by the new, fast-moving, and very-infectious Omicron variant is headed our way. "This new form of coronavirus could infect large numbers of people in Wales, disrupting daily lives and businesses and could cause an increase in the number of people who need hospital care in the coming weeks.”
"We will do everything we can to protect people's health and livelihoods, and this means taking early action to try and control its spread. Nobody wanted to see the return to alert levels and to the protections that I've announced today. But we are now entering a really serious phase of the pandemic.”
Asked if the measures were excessive in the light of reports suggesting that Omicron was less severe than the Delta variant, Mr Drakeford responded that assumption was based on a misunderstanding.
"If Omicron was only half as severe as Delta, because of the extra speed at which it is transmitted, that would buy you 48 hours before you see those numbers, and numbers of people going into hospital, climb to the very steep levels that we have seen.”
"So the information on whether it is more serious is much more contested. The detail that I have seen suggests if you have already been infected by coronavirus, it may be that Omicron will not be as severe as the first time you are infected. If you're getting it for the first time, there is no evidence that it is any less severe than any of the earlier variants.”
"So I'm afraid, nice as it would be to think that that will solve the problem of January for us, just the sheer number of people who will fall ill, and the more nuanced information about severity means that the protections that we have announced today are a necessary precaution against the impact that we think we will see in Wales."
