Commemorative woodlands to be planted as Wales marks a year since first Coronavirus death
The Wales at Six live report on the day of the first coronavirus death in Wales
Commemorative woodlands are to be planted in Wales as a gesture of remembrance to those lost to coronavirus, the First Minister has announced.
Mark Drakeford's announcement coincides with the one year anniversary of the first coronavirus death in Wales.
He said the woodlands would grow into "natural spaces of reflection", where friends and loved ones could remember those who have died.
Two woodlands are to be created, with one in the north and one in the south of the country.
Tuesday marks one year since it was confirmed that a patient at Wrexham Maelor Hospital had become the first person to die from Covid-19 in Wales.
Chief medical officer Frank Atherton said at a press conference on March 16, 2020, that the person was aged 68 and suffered from an underlying health condition.
Marking the one-year anniversary of the first death, Mr Drakeford said the two new woodlands would act as a symbol of Wales' resilience during the pandemic.
Mr Drakeford said: "Today we mark a deeply sad anniversary as we remember the first person in Wales to die from coronavirus.
"Since that day too many people have been taken too soon. We remember them today and keep them in our hearts and our minds.
"Today I am announcing the creation of two commemorative woodlands - one in north Wales and one in south Wales - as permanent living memorials to all those who have died."
Wales' coronavirus death toll currently stands at 5,455 according to latest Public Health Wales data.
The woodlands' exact locations will be announced by the Welsh Government-sponsored body Natural Resources Wales (NRW). They will see a range of tree species planted to make them resilient to the changing environment.
"These woodlands will grow into natural spaces of reflection where families and others can come to remember all those we have lost," Mr Drakeford added.
"The pandemic has cast a long shadow on all our lives over the last year, but we can also look to the future with hope."
NRW said it would engage with local communities to plan and design the woodlands.
Clare Pillman, chief executive of NRW, said: "Our woodlands play a vital role in our environment and communities and are powerful, poignant symbols of life and memory.
"The new commemorative woodlands will provide a living, growing memorial that will honour the memory of all of those who have sadly lost their lives to coronavirus.
"In addition to being a symbolic representation of Wales' resilience during the pandemic, the woodlands will also provide a safe, quiet and accessible place where families can come to visit and remember their loved ones."
The Welsh Conservatives also paid tribute to those lost but added it was "a time for cautious optimism for Wales".
Angela Burns MS, the Shadow Minister for Health, said: "Anniversaries, whether good or bad ones, are times for reflection, and today it is fitting that we remember all those who have died with Covid, and the many more whose lives have been affected by both the virus and the many other consequences of the pandemic.
"However traumatic a time it has been, the data indicate that Wales is now turning a corner after the remarkable efforts made by frontline NHS staff during the pandemic, and the countless acts of care made by so many other people to try to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.
"So, while a time of sadness, it is now also a time for cautious optimism and hope for Wales."
Coronavirus has devastated families and communities across Wales since that first death last year.
There have been outbreaks in care homes, hospitals and schools throughout the pandemic as the country has struggled to fully contain a virus that is often symptomless in people.
The virus has also been able to spread significantly despite people in Wales living under an unprecedented level of restrictions on their daily lives.
Last March, in the very early days of the pandemic, some large-scale events had controversially been allowed to go ahead in principle, with ministers saying there was no scientific evidence at the time that supported cancelling them.
Appearing at a joint press conference with chief medical officer Frank Atherton, Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: "The science doesn't tell us that it [event cancellations] really makes a difference.
"Either in significantly delaying the peak of the outbreak or indeed in terms of saving life.
"So there isn't public health advice that we have available to us as decision-taking ministers saying it's the right thing to do for the public to cancel those large events."
However, Wales' Six Nations clash with Scotland was called off at the last minute as the coronavirus situation quickly evolved.
Case numbers in Wales have fallen in recent weeks, although the newer and more highly transmissible 'Kent' variant of coronavirus was deemed responsible for a surge in cases before Christmas which sent the country back into national lockdown.
The Welsh Government has repeatedly emphasised its concerns over the possibility for new variants to emerge and for the potential importation of these from international travel.
Wales' seven-day case rate now stands at 40 per 100,000 people; it had been around 630 per 100,000 in December.
On the vaccination rollout 1,139,866 people have been given a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine; 272,983 people have been given a two-dose course.
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