Major changes to Covid testing in Wales are being introduced this week. The changes will mean people can no longer book a PCR test from Wednesday and all sites will start closing. People will also no longer be able to get free LFT tests unless they have symptoms.
The changes will have major implications for workplaces that have been asking staff to take an LFT test before they start work, whether they have symptoms or not.
Other changes being introduced this week mean that the legal requirement to self-isolate if you have Covid has ended however it remains the strong recommendation that people self-isolate while they have Covid. Self-isolation support payments of £500 will continue to be available until June. Rules around masks have also changed, which you can read about here.
New changes mean:
- Wednesday, March 30, is the last day the public will be able to book a PCR test if they have symptoms
- From Thursday, March 31, all PCR testing sites in Wales will close and free lateral flow tests to support regular asymptomatic testing in workplaces will end except for health and social care workers.
- Free lateral flow tests for the public for regular asymptomatic testing will end on Thursday, March 31
- From Friday, April 1, if you have Covid symptoms you should use a lateral flow test to check whether you have Covid and from that date, only people eligible for COVID-19 treatments will be able to order PCR tests to be done at home.
- Routine asymptomatic testing in childcare and education settings, except special education provision, will stop on Friday, April 8
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The rules for care homes are also changing. The Social Care Transition Plan, agreed between the Welsh Government and care sector, changes the rules that should be taken between April and June.
Frontline health and social care staff will continue to have access to free lateral flow tests to undertake twice weekly testing from organisations they work for but care home workers will no longer need to undertake weekly PCR tests. Unpaid carers who are caring for the clinically vulnerable will also be able to access lateral flow testing through their local authorities.
Care home providers should not be placing restrictions on visitor numbers or on the length and frequency of visits. If appointment systems are used they should facilitate rather than restrict visiting. Visitors and visiting professionals should provide evidence of a negative lateral flow test result within the 24 hour period before the visit and care homes will be provided with free tests so they can be given to visitors.
Face coverings continue to be a legal requirement in health and care settings for the next three weeks when the next review takes place. It is advised that visitors should continue to wear masks/face coverings when in public areas of care homes and when moving through the care home, but may otherwise be removed.
The number of 'essential visitors' permitted during an outbreak will be increased to two and they may visit either separately or at the same time; the use of PPE will continue to be recommended for all staff working in social care settings but social distancing can be relaxed for social care staff, care home residents and people receiving care at home when there is no evidence of Covid-19 circulating. If an incident or an outbreak occurs, social distancing could be re-introduced as a mitigating measure.
Health Minister Eluned Morgan said: “These changes are part of moving gradually away from the emergency response to the pandemic and beginning to live safely with coronavirus. We will continue to ensure we are ready and able to respond to any new variants or outbreaks as we step into this new future.
“It is important people remember that coronavirus has not gone away. Everything we do – all the small things we have learned to do to keep ourselves safe – become even more important now, especially self-isolating if we have symptoms or a positive test result.
“If we continue to work together, we can keep each other safe and keep Wales safe.”
Cases in Wales continue to rise. The latest figures show the overall number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test in Wales now stands at 7,122. The latest infection rate based on PCR tests for the seven days up to March 21 is 443.1 cases for every 100,000 people – a rise from the 429.4 cases recorded on Friday. The latest data is here.
