Here are the coronavirus morning headlines for Monday, February 14, as it is reported that the plan to expand vaccinations to all children aged five to 11 in England has been delayed.
The Guardian is reporting that while the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) made its decision more than a week ago, the UK Government is reviewing the verdict. A decision is now expected to be announced on February 21, when Boris Johnson is due to unveil the government's long-term coronavirus plan.
The Welsh Government has also tended to take on recommendation from the vaccinations advisory body.
The JCVI’s recommendation has not yet been made public. It is understood it will expand vaccinations to all younger children but via a “non-urgent” offer to parents, given the relatively small health risks to the age group.
In January, the vaccine was offered to vulnerable children in the age bracket. Read more about that here.
A briefing on expanding the scheme had been expected today (Monday, February 14), but it has been delayed for a second time.
Ministers are deciding whether to accept the recommendation, with a decision coming in just over a week when Boris Johnson is due to outline his long-term strategy for Covid.
A government spokesperson said: “No decisions have been made by ministers on the universal offer of a Covid-19 vaccine to all five- to 11-year-olds. We are committed to reviewing the JCVI’s advice as part of wider decision-making ahead of the publication of our long-term strategy for living with Covid-19.”
The move appears especially unusual given that, while JCVI recommendations are seen by ministers before being announced, this is usually just a brief process to consider legal and logistical issues. This is ordinarily done by the health department, and not No 10.
The latest statement on the issue from the Welsh Government says: "At the current time, the JCVI considers the balance of potential benefits and harms is in favour of vaccination for this group (vulnerable children in the age group). The JCVI has not as yet advised whether children aged 5 to 11, who are not in an “at-risk” category should receive vaccination until more information and evidence is available."
Read more: All the latest coronavirus news from Wales, the UK and the world here.
Head teacher calls for masks in schools to be scrapped in Wales
Martin Hulland has also said fines should be re-imposed for non-attendance.
The head teacher at Cardiff West Community High has said masks affect learning and schools need to get back to more normality for the sake of young people.
From February 28 masks will no longer be required in lessons but should be worn in communal areas of secondary schools, education minister Jeremy Miles announced on Friday. Mr Hulland said he would like to get rid of masks in schools now.
As the restrictions ease across the community Mr Hulland said it was increasingly hard to explain extra Covid rules in schools.
He was speaking as the Welsh Government announced Covid passports are being ditched in Wales and people will soon no longer need to wear masks in most indoor public places apart from shops, health and care facilities, and on public transport.
Mr Hulland said: “I would prefer to move away from masks and give schools more freedom on their own risk assessment. It’s been hard work enforcing masks over the last couple of weeks.
"The moment I can get rid of masks I will. The children have been okay with it but it’s a battle that’s increasingly difficult.
“In terms of teaching you are doing a question and answer with a mask on – it’s not good. It’s not very helpful. We need to move on."
And he warned high absence levels across Wales may take years to address because so many children and teenagers are out of the habit of coming to school after two years of lockdowns, isolation, and Covid disruption. Read more here.
Latest infection rate for Wales
The infection rate in Wales has fallen again, according to the latest figures from Public Health Wales.
The latest figures on Sunday showed that another person has died with coronavirus in Wales and there were 1,495 new positive cases, bringing the total to 800,316.
The overall number of people who have died within 28 days of testing positive in Wales now stands at 6,913.
The latest infection rate based on PCR tests, for the seven days up to February 7, now stands at 379.0 cases for every 100,000 people – a reduction from the 400.3 cases recorded on Friday, which was a drop on the 412.9 recorded on Thursday.
The area of Wales with the highest infection rate for the seven days up to February 7 was Carmarthenshire with 563.1 followed by Cardiff with 445.6 and Swansea with 418.2.
Cardiff recorded the most positive cases over the latest 24-hour period with 235 followed Swansea with 115, Carmarthenshire with 107, Rhondda Cynon Taf with 91, Flintshire with 84, Vale of Glamorgan with 77, Wrexham with 64, and Conwy with 61. Meanwhile Neath Port Talbot recorded 58 new cases, Pembrokeshire 57, Torfaen 51, Newport and Denbighshire 50 each, Ceredigion and Bridgend 49 each, Caerphilly 48, and Gwynedd 44. Find the cases for your area here.
UK health secretary touring England
The Health Secretary will tour England this week, visiting hospitals, care homes, cancer centres and research facilities.
Sajid Javid's first stop will be the East of England on Monday, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said.
His tour, which will feature vaccination centres and GP surgeries, will include visits to a number of hospital sites to hear about treatments being delivered within the NHS.
The DHSC said the tour is an opportunity for Mr Javid to hear from health and care staff that have worked throughout the pandemic, and each day he will host Q&A sessions with members of the public.
Mr Javid said: "As we learn to live with Covid, my mission is clear. We must tackle the backlog of people waiting for treatment, bring NHS and social care services closer together and deal with the stark inequalities and level up the health of the nation.
"Nurses, doctors, GPs, vaccinators, porters and so many others have put everything on the line to care for patients and families throughout this pandemic, and that's why I wanted to thank them personally.
"This week I want to hear directly from staff, patients, residents and local people about their experiences of the health and care systems and discuss my plans for NHS and social care recovery and reform."
Last week, Mr Javid set out in the Commons how the NHS would tackle the backlog built up during the pandemic, including new targets for reducing long waits and getting people checked for illnesses more quickly.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he will take a trip out of London to Scotland and northern England this week, as he strives to avoid a fine by answering a legal questionnaire from Scotland Yard regarding alleged lockdown breaches in Downing Street.
UK travel sector sees rise in insolvencies during pandemic
Insolvencies of UK travel agents and tour operators increased in the past year, new research suggests.
The total jumped from 68 to 82, showing the impact of the pandemic on the sector, said advisory firm Mazars.
The emergence of the Omicron variant, coupled with lingering restrictions on UK tourists in some countries, have hit hopes of a return to demand for travel, its report said.
Rebecca Dacre, of Mazars, said: "Many travel companies went into the off-season in a precarious position and have not come out the other side.
"The on-off nature of travel restrictions has left lingering damage in the sector with many consumers having lost confidence and put off bookings.
"The insolvencies we've seen so far could just be the beginning. Omicron restrictions will have blunted the recovery of the holiday sector and are likely to have further hit travel companies.
Police arrest remaining protesters at US-Canada bridge
Police moved in to clear and arrest the remaining protesters near the busiest US-Canadian border crossing on Sunday, ending a demonstration against Covid-19 restrictions that has impacted the economies of both nations.
The action happened even as officers held back from cracking down on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa.
The protests have reverberated across the country and beyond, with similar convoys in France, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The US department of homeland security warned that truck convoys may be in the offing in the United States.
Police said about 12 people were peacefully arrested and seven vehicles were towed away just after dawn near the Ambassador Bridge that links their city - and numerous Canadian car plants - with Detroit.
Only a few protesters had remained after police on Saturday persuaded demonstrators to move their pickup trucks and others cars that they had used to block a crossing that sees 25% of all trade between the two countries.
US President Joe Biden's administration on Sunday acknowledged the seemingly peaceful resolution to the demonstration, which it said had had "widespread damaging impacts" on the "lives and livelihoods of people" on both sides of the border.
In Ottawa, the ranks of protesters swelled to what police said were 4,000 demonstrators by Saturday, and a counter-protest of frustrated Ottawa residents attempting to block the convoy of trucks from entering the city centre emerged on Sunday.
New Zealand plays Barry Manilow to repel parliament protesters
Authorities in New Zealand have been playing Barry Manilow's greatest hits in an attempt to dislodge protesters camped outside the parliament building.
Songs by the US singer are being played on a 15-minute loop, along with the Spanish dance tune, Macarena and James Blunt.
The demonstrators, who are angry at Covid-19 vaccine mandates, responded by playing songs such as Twisted Sister's We're Not Gonna Take It.
The protests began on Tuesday when a convoy of vehicles drove to parliament.
Inspired by the large rallies against vaccine mandate in Canada, hundreds of protesters arrived in the capital, Wellington, to rally against Covid restrictions.
They adopted the name "Convoy for Freedom" and blocked streets in the city.
New test support for partially sighted people
Partially sighted people taking Covid-19 lateral flow tests will be able to get help from a new app and video-call service.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) launched the service to help make testing more accessible.
The app - called Be My Eyes - connects people with low to moderate vision with agents from 119 through a live video call.
Users can get live video assistance from NHS Test and Trace staff in helping them with how to order tests, use tests and register their test results.
The service has been launched following an ongoing partnership between UKHSA and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the Macular Society, Thomas Pocklington Trust, Visionary and the Be My Eyes app.
The UKHSA said it has carried out trials with volunteers with differing levels of vision to understand the changes that would have the most impact to testing accessibility.
Other tools are also being introduced for partially sighted people ordering home test kits, including instructions in braille, audio and large print, and an RNIB information line providing a recorded version of the instructions.
UKHSA chief executive Dame Jenny Harries said rapid testing continues to play a vital role in combating the spread of the virus, adding: "This important new service will help make it easier for partially sighted people to use rapid tests in the comfort of their own home."
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