Deputy Medical Officer says guidance for those shielding in Wales remains unchanged

People in Wales who are shielding from coronavirus are being urged to continue doing so so until mid August.

The reminder comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Jenny Harries, announced changes this evening to the shielding guidance for residents in England from August 1st.

Around 130,000 people across Wales have been shielding since the advice from the Welsh Government was issued back in March.

Earlier this month letters were sent out asking people in Wales to continue shielding until 16 August. A change to guidance meant people can also go outdoors to meet others for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Following the changes to the guidance in England, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Wales, Dr Chris Jones, has tonight issued a reminder that people in Wales should continue to shield until mid August.

Dr Jones said: “We know shielding is not easy, but we are continuing to advise this group of people to take these measures because, although coronavirus is declining in Wales, it has not gone away and these shielding measures will continue to protect this group of people.

“We know that the UK Government is making changes to the advice it will be issuing to people who are shielding in England from July.

“But our advice to people who are shielding in Wales remains the same as set out in the letters sent by the Chief Medical Officer earlier this month.

“I would encourage everyone who is shielding to take advantage of opportunities to go outside and enjoy some of the good weather as this has significant benefits to health and well-being.

“I would like to reassure those who are shielding that we have not forgotten about them. We keep the shielding advice under constant review as we know how hard shielding is.

“As we learn more about coronavirus, we may be able to change the advice to make it more responsive to people’s individual risk. We will work with the other UK nations to develop a tool to give a more personalised risk assessment and help guide people about the steps they should take.

“Until this has been developed, the Chief Medical Officer for Wales will review the advice for those who are shielding on the same 21-day cycle as the review of the lockdown regulations.

“I want to thank everyone who is shielding for their help and patience. I also want to thank all those who continue to work so hard to help support everyone who is shielding – our local authorities, community pharmacies, volunteers and food retailers which are making a huge contribution to supporting our shielding group.”