Here are the coronavirus morning headlines for Monday, January 3, as cases continue to grow in Wales and the UK Government Health Minister said there were no plans to cut the isolation period further in England.
UK Government Health Minister Edward Argar has said there are no plans in Westminster to cut the self-isolation period for those testing positive for the virus to five days.
Mr Argar was asked whether the Government planned to change its policy on self-isolation for those who tested positive.
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Under the current rules, those who test positive for coronavirus are required to self-isolate for seven days. The requirement was recently reduced down from 10 days.
But Mr Argar was asked whether the public could expect the self-isolation period to be cut even further after two countries - Greece and the United States - cut their periods down to just five days.
The Health Minister said there were currently no plans to change the rules, but said the Government would not rule it out.
In Wales the matter is devolved but before the new year the Welsh Government also cut the self-isolation period in the country down from 10 to seven in line with English rules.
Mr Argar said: "We have seen this done in Greece and the United States, the clinical advice, the scientific advice, that we have is that it should be moved from 10 days, which we have done, to seven days.
"We haven't received advice that it should be moved below that and we will follow the scientific advice.”
Face to face teaching will continue for now
England’s Education Secretary has said face-to-face teaching will continue and remain "the norm" as he outlined a series of Covid measures for schools.
Nadhim Zahawi said secondary pupils will have to wear masks in classrooms and should have a coronavirus test at school before beginning the new term, followed by regular tests at home.
Mr Zahawi said he hoped guidance in the classroom would not be in place "for a day longer than we need it".
He told Times Radio: "It really is based on a couple of things. One, obviously UK Health and Security Agency recommendation, Omicron being far more infectious, and when you look at the epidemiological data from SPI-M (Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling) on this, and we've done a piece of work in the department at the end of last year, with 123 schools, where we've done an observational study where they've adhered to mask wearing in classrooms.
"It's one of a number of, I think, really important mitigations to make sure that education is fully open and children are in school, in class.
"What we're saying is, look, with Omicron, because it's so infectious, we want to make sure that we give you as many tools to be able to make sure that education is open."
The issue is devolved in Wales. Here the guidance for schools was set out at the end of last term. That is that contact bubbles and masks are to be worn by staff and secondary pupils in communal areas among other measures.
The new guidance, updated on January 1, 2022, also tells school leaders to plan for a return to online learning. Primary and special schools should also send warning and inform letters if anyone in their child’s class tests positive for Covid, the advice adds.
How do the rules differ between England and Wales?
England had the most relaxed rules in the UK for New Year celebrations, although Covid passes for entry into nightclubs and other venues have been in place since December 15.
This applies to indoor events with 500 or more attendees where people are likely to stand or move around, such as music venues, as well as certain outdoor events, such as music festivals, and any events with 10,000 or more attendees.
Face coverings have also been made compulsory in most indoor public settings, as well as on public transport, and people have been told to work from home if they can.
If a person in England has tested positive or has symptoms, they can stop self-isolating after seven days instead of 10 if they receive two negative lateral flow test results on days six and seven. Those who are unvaccinated close contacts of positive cases must still isolate for 10 days.
Anyone who cannot work from home should continue to go into work but is encouraged to consider taking lateral flow tests regularly.
The Welsh Government has also reduced the mandatory isolation period for people who test positive with Covid-19 from 10 days to seven, subject to two negative lateral flow tests on days six and seven.
Groups of no more than six people are allowed to meet in pubs, cinemas and restaurants in Wales.
Licensed premises can offer table service only, face masks will have to be worn and contact tracing details collected, and two-metre social distancing rules are in place.
Nightclubs have been closed since Boxing Day and there is a requirement to work from home wherever possible, with potential fines for those who don't.
A maximum of 30 people can attend indoor events and a maximum of 50 people are allowed at outdoor events.
People attending weddings or civil partnership receptions or wakes are also being told to take a lateral flow test before attending.
Cases continue to grow in Wales
The Covid-19 infection rate in Wales has continued to grow with more than 14,000 new cases of the virus recorded in the latest figures.
On Sunday the latest data from Public Health Wales, covering the 24-hour period up to 9am on December 31, showed 14,036 new cases bringing the total in Wales since the pandemic began to 646,159.
The total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test has now risen to 6,581 in Wales with a further 14 fatalities since the last data was released. The figures relating to deaths covers the 24-hour period up to 9am on December 31.
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales, based on the seven days up to December 27, has risen to 1,415 from 1,190.2 cases per 100,000 population on Friday – the highest figure at any stage of the pandemic.
Infection rates in each local authority have risen. The highest rate in Wales for the seven days from December 21 to 27 is Merthyr Tydfil, where the figure is 1,826, followed by Rhondda Cynon Taf with 1,741, Cardiff with 1,586, and Torfaen with 1,571. The only areas where the rates are under 1,000 are Monmouthshire and Powys.
You can read about the latest cases in full here.
Traders in Wales fear bruising month
Hospitality businesses in Wales say January will be "concerning" for the industry as bosses battle with quieter bars, rising cases of the Omicron variant, staff isolation, and supply chain issues.
Traders say concerns over Omicron combined with staff isolation and other issues will mean an even more difficult first month of the year than normal.
It comes after reports of half-empty pubs and restaurants in Wales on New Year's Eve and the closure of nightclubs as part of new rules introduced from 6am on Boxing Day. You can read all the current Covid rules for Wales here.
Jason Hamer runs CFEleven Hotel and Gin Bar in Cathedral Road in Cardiff. He has opted to close entirely for the first two weeks of January after his bar was "a lot quieter than normal" on New Year's Eve.
"After 11 o'clock a lot of people were gone to parties and other people's houses" he said. "It went from maybe 70 people to about 25 after 11 o'clock. A lot of people said they were going to friends' houses and other places I spoke to said they saw the same thing."
Even people with a cold should self-isolate
Wales' top doctor advised that even people with a cold should self-isolate in the future.
Sir Frank Atherton, who was knighted in the Queen's New Year's Honours, admitted it will be difficult for everyone to do it but said it would be safer for society going forward.
Speaking to Times Radio on Sunday he said: "Looking beyond the current wave [of the Omicron variant] we have to work as a society. We need to move to a position where anyone who has a virus has to self-isolate for a few days. We would be safer as a society and more protected economically. Anyone who has a cold should ask themselves if it is really appropriate to go on a train or a busy airport. It would be better to stay home and get better."
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has tasked ministers in his cabinet with developing "robust contingency plans" for workplace absences as the UK Government acknowledged high Covid levels could hit businesses hard over the coming weeks.
Public sector leaders have been asked to prepare for a worst-case scenario of up to 25% of staff off work as the virus continues to sweep across the country, the Cabinet Office said.
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