First Minister Mark Drakeford is expected to announce on Friday the removal of Wales’ final remaining Covid rules. While nearly all restrictions were lifted in March this year the decision to scrap the mandatory wearing of face masks in health settings from Monday will mean for the first time since March 2020 Wales will be totally free of coronavirus regulations.
The outcome of the latest three-weekly review of the legal regulations will be announced by Mr Drakeford at a press conference at noon on Friday. He is expected to confirm that the final legal requirement, which has seen face coverings remain a mandatory requirement in health and care settings to protect patients, staff, and visitors, will be removed from May 30.
It’s understood the Welsh Government will continue to recommend people take simple steps to protect their health including by staying up to date with Covid vaccinations (see the latest on who will be eligible for jabs in the autumn by going here) and self-isolating if they have Covid-19 symptoms. The legal requirement to self-isolate for positive cases was removed earlier this year.
The decision to remove the restrictions comes in light of an improving picture in terms of infection figures. The number of Covid-19-related patients in hospital is gradually falling, although the NHS continues to experience emergency and pandemic pressures, while the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures showed infection numbers in Wales falling for the fifth week in a row.
