Schools closed until half term - at least
Schools and colleges in Powys will stay closed to most pupils until the February half term, unless there is a “significant" fall in Covid cases.
First Minister Mark Drakeford also confirmed current lockdown restrictions would be extended and “strengthened”, according to the BBC.
This means non-essential retail, hospitality venues, licensed premises and leisure facilities remain closed and showrooms must now shut as well. Mr Drakeford said: “The pandemic has reached a significant point.”
He told BBC Radio Wales that the announcement was the “best certainty” he could offer parents, pupils and teachers, “in a world which is highly uncertain and where things change almost every single day”.
A return to face-to-face learning at some Welsh universities has also been postponed, while internal GCSE, A-level and AS-level assessments have been cancelled.
The announcement follows a similar move in England, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already said schools would not open before half term.
There is slight hope that they could fully reopen earlier, but the next review is not until January 29, but if there isn’t a big drop in cases and a downward trend then it is likely that the majority of children will not be going back until February 22 at the earliest.
Wales has been in an alert level four lockdown since December 20 in an attempt to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus.
While cases across the Welshpool area remain relatively low, 63 further deaths from Coronavirus were reported by Public Health Wales in Wales on Thursday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Drakeford said the new variant was more easily spread and stricter lockdown measures were now needed to keep people safe.
Ministers are in talks with employers and unions and changes are set to be announced for workplaces - to protect workers - early next week.
“Given the fact that the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe," he said.
But Mr Drakeford has ruled out the introduction of a curfew.
First Minister Mark Drakeford also confirmed current lockdown restrictions would be extended and “strengthened”, according to the BBC.
This means non-essential retail, hospitality venues, licensed premises and leisure facilities remain closed and showrooms must now shut as well. Mr Drakeford said: “The pandemic has reached a significant point.”
He told BBC Radio Wales that the announcement was the “best certainty” he could offer parents, pupils and teachers, “in a world which is highly uncertain and where things change almost every single day”.
A return to face-to-face learning at some Welsh universities has also been postponed, while internal GCSE, A-level and AS-level assessments have been cancelled.
The announcement follows a similar move in England, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already said schools would not open before half term.
There is slight hope that they could fully reopen earlier, but the next review is not until January 29, but if there isn’t a big drop in cases and a downward trend then it is likely that the majority of children will not be going back until February 22 at the earliest.
Wales has been in an alert level four lockdown since December 20 in an attempt to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus.
While cases across the Welshpool area remain relatively low, 63 further deaths from Coronavirus were reported by Public Health Wales in Wales on Thursday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Drakeford said the new variant was more easily spread and stricter lockdown measures were now needed to keep people safe.
Ministers are in talks with employers and unions and changes are set to be announced for workplaces - to protect workers - early next week.
“Given the fact that the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe," he said.
But Mr Drakeford has ruled out the introduction of a curfew.
First Minister Mark Drakeford also confirmed current lockdown restrictions would be extended and “strengthened”, according to the BBC.
This means non-essential retail, hospitality venues, licensed premises and leisure facilities remain closed and showrooms must now shut as well. Mr Drakeford said: “The pandemic has reached a significant point.”
He told BBC Radio Wales that the announcement was the “best certainty” he could offer parents, pupils and teachers, “in a world which is highly uncertain and where things change almost every single day”.
A return to face-to-face learning at some Welsh universities has also been postponed, while internal GCSE, A-level and AS-level assessments have been cancelled.
The announcement follows a similar move in England, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already said schools would not open before half term.
There is slight hope that they could fully reopen earlier, but the next review is not until January 29, but if there isn’t a big drop in cases and a downward trend then it is likely that the majority of children will not be going back until February 22 at the earliest.
Wales has been in an alert level four lockdown since December 20 in an attempt to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus.
While cases across the Welshpool area remain relatively low, 63 further deaths from Coronavirus were reported by Public Health Wales in Wales on Thursday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Drakeford said the new variant was more easily spread and stricter lockdown measures were now needed to keep people safe.
Ministers are in talks with employers and unions and changes are set to be announced for workplaces - to protect workers - early next week.
“Given the fact that the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe," he said.
But Mr Drakeford has ruled out the introduction of a curfew.
First Minister Mark Drakeford also confirmed current lockdown restrictions would be extended and “strengthened”, according to the BBC.
This means non-essential retail, hospitality venues, licensed premises and leisure facilities remain closed and showrooms must now shut as well. Mr Drakeford said: “The pandemic has reached a significant point.”
He told BBC Radio Wales that the announcement was the “best certainty” he could offer parents, pupils and teachers, “in a world which is highly uncertain and where things change almost every single day”.
A return to face-to-face learning at some Welsh universities has also been postponed, while internal GCSE, A-level and AS-level assessments have been cancelled.
The announcement follows a similar move in England, where Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already said schools would not open before half term.
There is slight hope that they could fully reopen earlier, but the next review is not until January 29, but if there isn’t a big drop in cases and a downward trend then it is likely that the majority of children will not be going back until February 22 at the earliest.
Wales has been in an alert level four lockdown since December 20 in an attempt to reduce the transmission of Coronavirus.
While cases across the Welshpool area remain relatively low, 63 further deaths from Coronavirus were reported by Public Health Wales in Wales on Thursday.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Mr Drakeford said the new variant was more easily spread and stricter lockdown measures were now needed to keep people safe.
Ministers are in talks with employers and unions and changes are set to be announced for workplaces - to protect workers - early next week.
“Given the fact that the new variant is so much easier to catch... we are looking at supermarkets and other places where people leave their homes, to make sure they are organised in a way that keeps their staff and customers safe," he said.
But Mr Drakeford has ruled out the introduction of a curfew.
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