WALES is not yet 'out of the woods' regarding coronavirus, despite significant decreases in deaths from the disease in recent weeks.

That is the message from the Welsh NHS Confederation, the umbrella body for health boards and other NHS Wales organisations, which is urging people to stick to social distancing and handwashing guidelines as lockdown is eased, in order to help keep coronavirus at bay.

“It has been an exceptionally hard few months, not just for all our staff across the NHS and social care in Wales, but for the public too as we faced significant interventions in our daily lives," said Nesta Lloyd-Jones, Welsh NHS Confederation assistant director.

“Those interventions were necessary to protect public health, and there will be a collective sigh of relief as Wales has reported numerous days where no official coronavirus deaths have been reported and cases across our communities continue to fall.

READ MORE:

“However, we are not out of the woods, and recent headlines of a second wave of coronavirus are a stark reminder that we must stick to the guidelines, including social distancing and regular hand washing, in order to keep the virus at bay.

“We would also like to thank the herculean efforts of everyone across the NHS, social care and all the key workers who have played a crucial role in saving lives and keeping the nation going during this difficult time.

"We also need to remember many families across Wales will still be hurting from the loss of loved ones and our thoughts are with them.”