The situation in Wales is very serious at the moment.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
A new strain of the virus is moving quickly across Wales – it spreads easily between people whenever we are together.
It has a firm foothold in North Wales, where cases of coronavirus are rising sharply, and it could soon become the main cause of infections in South Wales too.
This same strain of the virus is causing problems in many parts of the UK.
We moved to alert level four – lockdown – to protect people’s health and control the spread of coronavirus just before Christmas.
This new strain of virus makes it even more important that we all follow the rules and stay at home. That also means working from home, if possible.
Frontline workers are continuing to put our health and safety first, every day. But, as cases of coronavirus rise, so does the pressure on our NHS.
We are very concerned there is a risk the NHS could become overwhelmed because so many people are falling ill. We all need to stay at home again and protect our NHS.
Thank you so much to everyone who is following the rules. We know this is a really difficult time and we know everyone is making sacrifices to keep their family and Wales safe.
The new Covid-19 vaccines offer us all the hope of a brighter future in the months ahead.
We are working really hard to make the vaccine available to everyone who needs it.
In the meantime, we need to carry on following the rules and protecting ourselves and our families.
For all those who are breaking the rules, and putting themselves first, action will be taken.