Intra-household and inter-household “the biggest engine of coronavirus” transmission

The First Minister has explained the rise in confirmed cases in Wrexham recently as the local authority area continues to see more confirmed cases reported per day than last month.

In the last seven day rolling figures there are 357 new confirmed cases reported by Public Health Wales, with a positive proportion of tests standing at 19%.

We asked the First Minister Mark Drakeford about his understanding on what is perpetuating and perhaps even increasing the spread of the virus on a local level here in Wrexham, considering we have been under ‘local lockdown’ restrictions for a month plus the more restrictive ‘firebreak’ lockdown as well.

The First Minister explained: “I think it’s not really different to what is happening in other parts of Wales.

“It is made up of a number of different components, so there are some workplace outbreaks I’ve seen recently identified in Wrexham, they’re not big ones like like they were back in the Rowan Foods days but some people do end up catching coronavirus in their place of work.

“There have been some school outbreaks in Wrexham, Wrexham has a university in it, and since students are back in college, then we’ve had some, in some places very significant numbers, there.

“The biggest number are still according to our Test Trace Protect system is people meeting and behaving in ways that allows the virus to spread.”

The First Minister then explained his office, and how a ‘regulated setting’ can be one full of reminders to keep socially distant compared to perhaps family homes.

“I try and say this in a way that it’s not meant to sound critical, but it’s hard to say it in a way that doesn’t come over in that way.

“I think it’s just when we are in a regulated setting, if I am in this office here now, the place is full of cues to remind me to do the right thing. There are three big ticks on this table to say that only three people should sit at this table at any one time.

“If I go out of the room, there are signs up on the wall reminding people, there are stations along the corridor with hand sanitiser, everywhere you go there are signs and cues to you to remind you how you should behave.”

“If you are in your own house and you meet other people, none of that happens, as we tend to revert to behaving in the ways that we are comfortable with and are used without those safeguards.”

“The evidence is its intra-household and inter-household transmission that is the biggest engine of coronavirus.”