Lockdown in Wales will continue for another three weeks

29 January 2021, 07:25 | Updated: 29 January 2021, 07:34

The lockdown in Wales is to continue for another three weeks
The lockdown in Wales is to continue for another three weeks. Picture: PA

By Asher McShane

The lockdown in Wales will remain in force for another three weeks, it will be confirmed later.

The Welsh Government says the Covid situation is "improving" but restrictions need to stay in place to "allow the NHS to recover".

Primary school pupils may be able to begin a phased return to the classroom after the February half-term, if infection rates continue to fall, First Minister Mark Drakeford will say.

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The Welsh Government said there could be a "phased and flexible return to school after February 22 if the public health situation continues to improve".

A statement said: "Rates of coronavirus across Wales have fallen below 200 cases per 100,000 people for the first time since early November.

"And every day, thousands more people receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine - the latest figures show almost 11% of the population have been vaccinated."

Authorities review the situation every 21 days, and on Wednesday chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said a Wales-wide easing of lockdown restrictions is unlikely until the end of February at the earliest.

The reproduction R value for the virus on Wednesday was said to be between 0.7 and 0.9, while figures from Public Health Wales showed that the country's seven-day case rate stood at 204 cases per 100,000 people, down from 270 cases per 100,000 on Friday.