Further 21,000 people will be advised to shield by Welsh Government

The Welsh Government is writing to a further 21,000 vulnerable people advising them to stay at home completely and not leave the house at all until June the 15th.

88,000 people have already been contacted to inform them that their conditions make them particularly susceptible to Covid-19 and that they should adopt the most severe version of self-isolating known as shielding.

A total of 121,000 people are shielding here in Wales, some of them having been advised to do so by their GPs.

People over 70 aren’t included in the advice to shield. Rather they are asked to follow the general advice for the public to stay home where possible.

The new advice from the Welsh Government comes after medical officers added further conditions to the list of people who should be shielded and reviewed the existing database.

For instance more cancer patients and transplant patients are being included.

The list of vulnerable people includes

  • transplant patients

  • severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis or asthma

  • people on immunosuppression medication

  • pregnant women with significant heart disease

The letters will be sent out this week and the advice will be reviewed before June 15th.

Those receiving them will be advised to stay at home at all times. If they don’t have friends and families to pick up shopping for them they will be eligible for free food box deliveries organised by local authorities and for priority delivery slots from supermarkets.

Those who don't have anyone to collect medication for them will be eligible to have deliveries from the Welsh Government volunteer delivery scheme.

Shielding is advice, not compulsory but medical officers hope it will enable people who may not have realised they were more at risk to take action.

  • What is shielding?

The Welsh Government defines “shielding” as protecting those people who are extremely vulnerable to the serious complications of coronavirus because they have a particular existing health condition.

It involves staying at home until at least 15 June 2020, and reducing contact with other people as far as possible to reduce the risk of being exposed to coronavirus.

A full list of those classed as "extremely vulnerable" can be found on the Welsh Government's website.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know