Covid news – live: Wales to end Covid passes and masks as a third of young people in cities still unvaccinated
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Your support makes all the difference.Mask-wearing rules and compulsory NHS Covid passes are coming to an end in Wales later this month, the Welsh government announced Friday.
From February 18, there will no longer be a legal requirement to have domestic Covid passes to enter indoor or outdoor events including nightclubs, cinemas, or theatres, but venues will still be able to use them if they want to.
Face coverings won’t be needed in most public spaces from Monday February 28. They will still be required in all shops, public transport, and health and care settings.
It comes as Wales is set to conduct its first three-week review of its zero alert measures.
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford said that increasing vaccination and booster numbers means Wales “can look forward to brighter times ahead”.
However, new figures show that one in three young adults in some of the biggest cities in England have still not received any doses of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Some 34.7 percent of 18 to 39-year-olds in Coventry are likely to be unvaccinated, along with 32.0 percent in Birmingham and 31.9 percent in Liverpool. In Nottingham, the figure sits at 30.1 percent while Newcastle and Manchester fare a little better (27.6 and 26.6 percent respectively).
Travel rules in 10 popular holiday destinations
If all the talk about travel has you itching to book a holiday, it’s important to know the rules still being enforced by each country.
PA’s Neil Lancefield has put together a comprehensive list of rules in 10 popular travel destinations, including Spain, Portugal, Greece and Mexico.
Travel rules in 10 popular holiday destinations
Here are the requirements for people who want to avoid self-isolation when arriving at foreign holiday destinations.
EU health body to investigate link between jabs and irregular periods
The Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee is investigating the link between some Covid vaccines and heavy or missed periods, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.
The PRAC decided to request an in-depth evaluation of all available data on period irregularities, it said.
The EMA said “at this stage, it is not yet clear” id there is a causal link and said there is no evidence to suggest Covid vaccines influence fertility.
STARTING NOW: Travel updates Ask Me Anything with Simon Calder
Our Ask Me Anything with travel correspondent Simon Calder is starting now.
Head to the comment section here to ask any questions about the latest travel updates between 1pm and 2pm.
Simon Calder hosts ‘Ask me anything’ live as UK scraps travel testing for vaccinated
After Britain relaxes the rules for all arrivals, The Independent’s travel correspondent tackles your most pressing queries
France to deploy thousands of police to quell ‘Freedom Convoy’ protestors
France will deploy thousands of police in and around Paris on Friday and over the weekend and set up checkpoints at toll stations on major roads leading into the capital to quell “Freedom Convoy” motorists inspired by Canada’s trucker demonstrations.
An order is in place for motorists protesting Covid restrictions not to enter Paris but an unclear number of protesters are expected to arrive in Paris later today, Reuters reported.
“The authorities cannot block everyone,” said one woman cheering on the motorists in Toulouse. “The convoys must force it, they must still try to enter.”
France scraps mask requirements for venues with vaccine pass requirements
From February 28, people in France will no longer be required to wear masks in indoor places where a vaccine pass is required for entry, the health ministry said.
Face coverings will still be mandatory on public transport and in indoor venues not subject to the vaccine pass, it said.
Starting soon: Travel restrictions Q&A with Simon Calder at 1pm
Out travel expert Simon Calder will be conducting an Ask Me Anything between 1pm and 2pm to clear up any confusions around the latest travel rules.
Make sure to register and head over to the comment section below to get your questions in.
Simon Calder hosts ‘Ask me anything’ live as UK scraps travel testing for vaccinated
After Britain relaxes the rules for all arrivals, The Independent’s travel correspondent tackles your most pressing queries
More than a billion vaccine doses given to 144 countries in COVAX scheme
The COVAX facility, backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), has delivered more than a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to 144 countries, GAVI data shows.
Gatwick to reopen south terminal after two years
Gatwick airport announced it would reopen its south terminal next month after two years of closure due to the pandemic.
Now that travel restrictions have been eased, the airport said a number of airlines will start returning to the south terminal from March 2, including British Airways, Ryanair and Wizz Air.
NHS Lanarkshire to potentially reintroduce service after 4-week ‘managed suspension’
Lanarkshire’s health board will decide next week whether to reintroduce services after telling its GPs to only focus on the most serious cases on January 11.
GP surgeries in Lanarkshire were moved to a “managed suspension of services” during the worst of the Omicron wave, which meant they would only focus on the most urgent and time-critical care. The managed suspension was set to last four weeks but will be reevaluated next week, just a week later than intended.
Dr Sharon Russell, associate medical director of South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, warned there “continues to be significant pressure across the whole system, including our acute hospitals, which are under sustained pressure”.
She added: “This is being kept under regular review, however, and we will again review the position next week to assess if our GPs are able to return to level one given that many of our community and other healthcare services are able to increase access to services that the GPs are required to access to operate at level one.”
29 new Covid-related deaths recorded in Northern Ireland weekly update
Twenty-nine deaths linked to Covid-19 in Northern Ireland have been recorded in the latest weekly update.
The figure represents a decrease of six fatalities on the 35 deaths that occurred in the previous week, according to data compiled by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (Nisra).
The latest deaths, registered in the week ending February 4, take the total number of coronavirus-linked fatalities recorded by Nisra to 4,214.
Jonathan McCambridge reports:
Another 29 Covid-linked deaths recorded in weekly update
The figure represents a decrease of six fatalities on the 35 deaths that occurred in the previous week, according to Nisra.
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