Covid: Shielding extended for 130,000 people in Wales

Those asked to shield against Covid-19 in Wales have been advised to avoid leaving home until April.

About 130,000 people deemed extremely vulnerable due to underlying health conditions were originally advised to stay at home and isolate from others.

This was paused in August, but resumed before Christmas amid a rise in cases linked to the new coronavirus variant.

The Welsh Government has extended the current shielding period from 7 February until 31 March.

In a written statement, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he was acting on the advice of Wales' Chief Medical Officer, and said the extension was due to "the ongoing high incidence of virus in our communities and our continuing learning around the impacts of new strains of the virus".

Those told to shield include organ transplant recipients, people with certain cancers and those with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis.

Mr Gething said it would send letters to people over the next fortnight, and those shielding would be invited to receive their first dose of a vaccine by mid-February.

"At present, the advice not to attend work and school outside the home will continue to apply even after both doses of the vaccine have been received," said the health minister.

"This is because the incidence of coronavirus in our communities remains high and the proportion of people who have been vaccinated is relatively low."

The advice will be kept under review, added Mr Gething.