Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said we all have a part to play in beating the new Omicron coronavirus variant

Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford tweeted: “Across the UK, we have taken fast action in response to the new Omicron variant.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said “we all have a part to play in beating” the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

She tweeted: “There are no confirmed cases of Omicron in (Scotland) yet, but we MUST act as if it’s already here. @scotgov is introducing new requirements for travellers, but we all have a part to play in beating this new threat.

“So wear (masks), wash hands, get vaccines & test before socialising.”

The Welsh Government has confirmed it will introduce the same measures on international travel as announced on Saturday by Boris Johnson, saying it had warned the UK Government of the dangers of removing restrictions.

A spokesperson said: “We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the UK Government about its decision to relax international travel rules quickly, precisely because of the risk of introducing new variants into the UK. We also warned against the removal of PCR tests for returning travellers.

“We will be introducing the same measures on international travel as those announced this afternoon by the UK Government and the other devolved governments.

“The emergence of this new variant is a serious development in the ongoing pandemic and reinforces the need for everyone in Wales to get their vaccine or booster when offered, wear face coverings when necessary, and book a test if they develop symptoms.”

Welsh ministers will be meeting on Saturday night and will continue to monitor the situation over the weekend, the spokesperson added.

Published: 27/11/2021 by Radio NewsHub