Have a safe New Year’s Eve and respect our frontline staff urges Welsh Ambulance Service

People across Wales are being urged to exercise caution this New Year’s Eve and heed the latest Welsh Government guidelines on gatherings and mixing households.

Cases of coronavirus have continued to rise over the last few weeks and are expected to increase further after more household mixing over the festive period.

Omicron – which is more transmissible than other variants – is now dominant across Wales, with 7,369 cases recorded so far.

Ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebrations the Welsh Ambulance Service is urging those who are spending time with family and friends to ‘Flow before you go’ by performing a Lateral Flow Test.

There is also a maximum of 30 people indoors and 50 outdoors for gatherings, along with a recommendation with mixing with only three households other than your own indoors.

Lee Brooks, Director of Operations for the Welsh Ambulance Service said: “We hope everybody had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and got to spend some precious time with their loved ones.

“But now it is time to focus on the future and the health of the nation whilst protecting our vital healthcare services and those who work in it at this time of unprecedented pressure.

“Omicron is a real threat, and easily transmissible, so it is important to put yourself in the best position possible to avoid infection by practicing good hand hygiene, taking regular Lateral Flow Tests, avoiding unnecessary social contact and always wearing a face covering in shared spaces.

“Also, your best line of defence against serious illness is to ensure that you and your family are all fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and have received your booster jab wherever possible.”

In a time where many people will be enjoying the revelry of the season and consuming alcohol, Lee asks that callers to 999 show respect to all emergency staff.

He said: “With around eight attacks on emergency workers in Wales occurring daily, we would ask the public to work with us, not against us and treat our staff with respect.

“We understand it is frustrating if you have to wait for emergency care, but remember our staff are normal people trying to do their job and do not deserve to be assaulted or abused in any way.

“Consuming alcohol only in moderation, eating before you drink, having transport home arranged and avoiding high risk activities such as fireworks are all sensible ways to safeguard yourself and our emergency and healthcare services this New Year.

“We wish everybody an enjoyable evening and health in the year ahead.”