Wales’ Chief Medical officer to write to those on shielding list with fresh advice on keeping safe from omicron

Wales’ chief medical officer (CMO) is to write to everyone on the shielding list with advice on how they can keep themselves safe in light of the omicron variant.

130,000 adults and young people considered most at risk of serious illness from coronavirus were asked in March 2020 to take extra precautions and stay indoors until last summer.

The measures were reintroduced in December during the second wave of the pandemic, before ending at the start of April 2021.

Today First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed that CMO Dr Frank Atherton is to write to all those on the shielding list with guidance on how to protect themselves following the emergency of omicron.

The variant, which is expected to be the dominant strain in Wales by the end of January 2022, is thought to be more transmissible.

Speaking at today’s Welsh Government press conference First Minister Mark Drakeford said it was unlikely that people will be asked to “go back to the original shielding guidance”.

He said: “The chief medical officer will be writing out again to everybody on the shielding list. We’ve sustained the shielding list, we’ve kept it a live list here in Wales and the chief medical officer has written out to people on a number of occasions over the whole of the pandemic.

“I know that people have really appreciated having the clarity of the advice that Dr. Atherton has been able to provide to them.

“I don’t believe that he will be advising people to go back to the original shielding regime, but he will be giving people the best advice as to how they can keep themselves safe in the context of the omicron variant.

It will be the sort of practical advice that he’s provided on previous occasions”