A view from Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).

Wrexham MS Lesley Griffiths writes…

While the national picture is improving, many will be aware of the increase in coronavirus cases recorded in Wrexham in recent days.  For a number of weeks, I have been in regular contact with the relevant authorities and have received updates.  There is misinformation circulating, particularly on social media, and if any constituents are concerned, I urge them to contact me directly for further information.

It is true to say the authorities are seeing a larger number of Covid-19 cases in Wrexham than in other parts of Wales.  Many of these cases are linked to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital and a ‘hospital outbreak’ was declared last weekend (24-25 July).  The Hospital Outbreak Control Team have worked to ensure any chains of transmission are followed up and have implemented additional infection prevention measures.  The team is confident the control measures put in place are helping reduce hospital transmission.

The general public can and must help.  The Health Board is asking everyone to wear a 3-tier face covering when in any of their hospitals.  Hospital visiting is currently suspended in an effort to limit the number of individuals on site and people should attend A&E only in emergencies.  Anyone with any concerns should contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Support Service on 0300 851 234 or email: [email protected]

There have been a small number of cases within the wider Wrexham area and these are being followed through the Test Trace Protect process.  My understanding is there have been very few new cases within the workforce at Rowan Foods in recent weeks and no new cases on some days. The Health & Safety Executive are content with plant practices and are continuing to visit and monitor progress.

The proactive measures being implemented at the Maelor, coupled with the easy-access testing facilities located in Hightown and Caia Park last week, will help the authorities gather greater insight, which will ultimately help contain the spread of the virus.  It is important to reassure the general public that it is entirely possible extra testing will uncover more cases.  Regardless of whether you are showing symptoms or not, residents are being encouraged to attend for a test for as long as the facility in Caia Park and Hightown is in operation.

So far, the information gathered suggests the situation in Wrexham is stable and under control, with the cases contained in particular locations rather than spreading further into the community.  The situation in Wrexham is not as severe as certain high-profile cases in England where stricter lockdown measures have been reintroduced.

The community testing facilities will gather greater understanding but the initial signs are encouraging.  Clearly, the situation will be monitored daily and if things do change, the Welsh Government will respond accordingly.

This incident underlines that although cases generally are declining, coronavirus has not disappeared and it remains highly infectious.  The potential for clusters and outbreaks will remain with us until a vaccine or treatments are found.  People must continue to adhere to social distancing, maintain good hand hygiene and if you have symptoms, no matter how mild, you must get a test and self-isolate along with the rest of your household or extended household.
We all have a responsibility and we must do all we can to keep Wrexham safe.
 
Although there has been a rise locally, the number of cases of COVID-19 across Wales generally is low.  It has granted the Welsh Government additional room to manoeuvre, meaning it has been able to continue to introduce a cautious, step-by-step relaxation of the lockdown restrictions.

The latest review of the coronavirus regulations took place at the end of last week and many will have seen the latest guidance. Weighing up all the latest information, the Welsh Government believes it is right to allow people in Wrexham to benefit from the latest steps, in spite of the recent rise in cases locally.

As a member of the Welsh Government, I am part of the decision making process.  All of the latest information and expert advice is explained to Cabinet Ministers and we have to make difficult judgement calls.  Public health has and will always remain at the forefront of any decision.

https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1289177769029414913
 
The Welsh Labour Government is doing everything in its power to support people, businesses, organisations and communities as we cautiously emerge on the other side of the pandemic.
Last week, a £40 million package was announced specifically aimed at helping the Welsh economy recover from coronavirus.  Extra support will be made available for apprenticeships, together with traineeships, redundancy assistance, retraining programmes and careers advice.

The Welsh Government has pledged that anyone over 16 in Wales will be able to access advice and support to find work, pursue self-employment or find a place in education and training.

https://twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1288088338126299136
 
The funding follows an announcement from the previous week that pledged an additional £50m to support Welsh universities, colleges and students.

We’re providing over £50 million extra to support our universities and colleges to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

The funding will help with extra teaching support in colleges and protect teaching, research and provide student support in our universities. pic.twitter.com/xvz7GyBP02

— Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) July 22, 2020

 
At a local level, I have contacted Nightingale House offering my support after reading their open letter on social media.

 
In my previous column, I highlighted I had met with Wrexham AFC directors to discuss the club’s immediate future.  I received a response from the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport & Tourism, Dafydd Elis-Thomas MS, and I will, of course, continue to support the football club as best I can.

 
My staff and I have worked tirelessly to support constituents through this pandemic.  If there is anything I can do to help, please email me: [email protected]

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).