Here are the coronavirus morning headlines for Tuesday, January 26, as a plan for how schools in Wales will operate over the coming weeks and months is due to be explained.
Education Minister Jeremy Miles will be heading up the latest coronavirus briefing from the Welsh government.
Schools in England have scrapped all restrictions in the classrooms, but Wales First Minister and Health Minister have both warned that the use of face masks will be needed until at least the half-term at the end of February. Read what they had to say here.
Jackie Parker, head teacher of Crickhowell High School, told BBC Radio Wales on Tuesday: "A lot of schools have kept face masks on in England because there is clear evidence they can help to minimise the spread of coronavirus.
"We want to take a sensible and measured response. Students are amazing. The vast majority are wearing them and many students and staff realise the part they have to play. We are looking at ways of relaxing the rules slowly, in line with the guidance we are issued with today."
Eithne Hughes, Association of School and College Leaders Cymru director said: "We are hopeful to hear there will be gradual removal of mitigations. We need to keep as many children as possible in school.
"We would be happier with a much more phased approach than we are seeing in other parts of the UK. We want to keep education steady."
Speaking at Friday's Covid briefing at which he confirmed the move to alert level zero the First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Next week the education minister will be here at this podium to set out the next steps for schools.”
Schools have set mitigations against the pandemic at ‘very high risk’ this term on advice from the Welsh Government.
That means contact bubbles are in place, there can be no school assemblies, the operation of staggered start and end times, and no school trips among other restrictions. Some schools started term online and councils have been told to prioritise exam years and vulnerable pupils for face-to-face learning. Staff and secondary pupils are still being asked to take three lateral flow tests each week and report results. GCSE exams have gone ahead but with doors and windows open. Read about the parent who wouldn't send her son to school because he had to wear a mask.
Read more: All the latest coronavirus news from Wales and the UK here.
Boris Johnson attended indoor birthday celebration during lockdown, No10 admits
Boris Johnson was facing fresh allegations of breaking coronavirus rules after Downing Street admitted he had a birthday celebration inside No 10 during the first lockdown.
Downing Street conceded staff "gathered briefly" in the Cabinet Room following a meeting after it was alleged 30 people attended and shared cake despite social mixing indoors being banned.
ITV News reported the Prime Minister's wife, Carrie Johnson, had organised the surprise get-together complete with a chorus of "happy birthday" on the afternoon of June 19 2020.
Interior designer Lulu Lytle admitted attending but insisted she was only present "briefly" while waiting to talk to Mr Johnson about the lavish refurbishments she was carrying out to the couple's flat above No 11.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "A group of staff working in No 10 that day gathered briefly in the Cabinet Room after a meeting to wish the Prime Minister a happy birthday. He was there for less than 10 minutes."
ITV news also reported later that evening family friends were hosted upstairs to further celebrate the Prime Minister's 56th birthday in his official residence.
No 10 said: "This is totally untrue. In line with the rules at the time the Prime Minister hosted a small number of family members outside that evening."
Sir Keir Starmer said the latest revelations were "yet more evidence that we have got a Prime Minister who believes that the rules that he made don't apply to him".
"The Prime Minister is a national distraction and he's got to go," the Labour leader added.
Sue Gray was understood to have already been aware of the birthday party allegations and therefore their emergence will not further delay the publication of her inquiry, which is still expected this week.
The senior civil servant has been investigating a series of claims of rule-breaking parties in No 10 as Mr Johnson faces calls to resign as Prime Minister, including from some of his own Conservative MPs.
Minister resigns over fraudulent Covid business loans
Treasury minister Lord Agnew dramatically resigned as a minister at the despatch box over the "schoolboy" handling of fraudulent Covid business loans.
His dramatic public resignation was over the the government’s decision to write off £4.3bn in fraudulent Covid loans.
Theodore Agnew, a Treasury and Cabinet Office minister, called the oversight of the scheme “nothing less than woeful” and accused officials of “schoolboy errors” on multiple fronts.
Speaking in the House of Lords, he accused the government of “arrogance, indolence and ignorance” in its attitude to tackling fraud estimated to cost £29bn a year.
In his statement, Lord Agnew said his resignation was not an attack on the prime minister but that he could not stay on in good conscience.
“Given that I am the minister for counter-fraud, it would be somewhat dishonest to stay on in that role if I am incapable of doing it properly. It is for this reason that I have sadly decided to tender my resignation as a minister across the Treasury and Cabinet Office with immediate effect.”
Nightclubs demand Covid pass exemption
Covid passes were introduced in Wales in October and since then there have been questions about why some venues were being "singled out".
The NHS passes had to be shown from October 11 to enter nightclubs, indoor non-seated events for more than 500 people, outdoor events for more than 4,000 people and any event with more than 10,000 people.
There was vocal concern from hospitality venues about their need and use. Nightclub owners in particular were concerned about how the rules applied to their venues compared to, say, a pub which plays music and people dance.
When he has been asked, the First Minister has said the use of the passes was "not to penalise any business, it’s to give that business an extra defence to allow it to continue to operate".
A Freedom of Information request was sent to Welsh Government asking for "any and all data that Welsh Government have used to develop the restrictions announced on 16th and 17th December 2021. This should include but not be limited to: a. Statistical information regarding numbers of Covid cases developed from nightclubs b. Statistical information surrounding rates of transmission from businesses to be impacted by the one way system rule. c. Minutes of the meeting and all this in attendance held on 16th December by Welsh Government regarding the restrictions".
The response to the first two questions was: "This information is not available. There is no guarantee about where someone caught Covid-19, therefore there is no data on cases caught in specific locations ."
Restrictions imposed across Wales in December saw nightclubs close and a ban on more than six people gathering in pubs. Publican Jon Bassett thinks the "unbelievable" Freedom of Information response shows a lack of justification for these measures.
Covid tests axed for fully-vaccinated travellers arriving in England
Covid tests in England will be scrapped for fully vaccinated arrivals as international travel rules are relaxed due to the reduced threat from Omicrons.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Covid curbs on international travel would be eased as Omicron was "now in retreat".
From 4am on February 11, fully jabbed passengers will no longer have to take a Covid test on returning to the UK, in time for the February half term.
In a major change, unvaccinated Brits will no longer have to self isolate or do a day 8 test under the new rules.
But they will still have to take pre-departure and post-arrival PCR test. All under 18s will not have to take tests on arrival in the UK.
And younger teenagers will be able to prove their vaccination status using the NHS app, in a boost to families planning for half term holidays abroad.
Teenagers aged from 12 to 15-years-old will be able to use the app from February 3 in England.
No announcement has been made in Wales, but the Welsh Government has followed announcements in England regarding international travel rules.
Over 50s and vulnerable urged to join antiviral Covid-19 trial
Adults over the age of 50 and people with underlying health problems who get Covid-19 are being urged to join a trial testing antiviral drugs.
Officials have said that antiviral drugs - which can help alleviate symptoms and prevent people from becoming seriously ill - are part of the package that will help the country return back to a normal life.
Researchers are examining how the drugs can be delivered in the NHS and which patients will benefit the most.
Experts from the University of Oxford hope to recruit an additional 6,000 patients on top of the 4,500 who have already signed up to take part in the Panoramic trial.
The treatment being used in the trial, molnupiravir, has already been approved by the UK medical regulator.
Anyone over the age of 50 or between 18 to 49 with an underlying health condition that puts them at higher risk of Covid-19 can sign up to the study as soon as they receive a positive PCR or lateral flow test result.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: "The vaccines are critical as a first line of defence, but antivirals form a vital part of our approach as we learn to live with Covid by preventing the most vulnerable from being hospitalised.
"If you're eligible, please step forward for the Panoramic trial and play your part in a vital mission - helping us to learn more about medicines which could save thousands of lives."
The call for more participants is being backed by charities including Kidney Care UK, Cystic Fibrosis Trust, Diabetes UK and the British Liver Trust.
- People can sign up to take part in the trial by visiting: panoramictrial.org/
Night time and weekend dental appointments as dentists in England tackle backlog
NHS dental patients are to be offered care over weekends and into the night as dentists try to tackle the backlog of care built up by the Covid-19 pandemic, officials have said.
More than 350,000 additional dentist appointments are to be made available to patients in England over the coming months, the NHS said. Read more about patients in Wales performing their own dentistry
NHS dental services across the country are to be awarded a share of a £50 million funding pot to help services recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Children, people with learning disabilities, autism or severe mental health problems will be prioritised as part of a dentistry "treatment blitz" over the coming months, NHS England said.
It said that dentists involved in the scheme will be paid more than a third on top of their normal sessional fee for delivering care outside of core hours, such as early morning and weekend work.
However, leading dentists have said the new funds are "time limited" and more needs to be done to protect the NHS dental service going into the future.
Belgium approves fourth vaccine dose
Belgium's health ministers have approved a recommendation to use a fourth dose of coronavirus vaccine to better protect people with a weakened immune system against the virus.
Christie Morreale, the minister for public health in the federal government, said she and her regional counterparts have given the green light to the proposal made by the country's health council.
Ms Morreale did not give a date for the start of the programme.
About 77% of Belgium's nearly 11.5 million people are now fully vaccinated, and some 6.3 million Belgians have received a booster dose, according to the latest figures from health authorities.
Belgium had 2,851 Covid-19 patients in hospital as of Monday, including 364 in intensive care units. At least 28,800 people have died from Covid-19 in Belgium since the start of the pandemic.
On Sunday, police fired water cannons and thick clouds of tear gas in Brussels, the capital, to disperse people protesting against Covid-19 vaccinations and government restrictions that aim to curb the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
Police said the protest drew an estimated 50,000 people, some travelling from France, Germany and other countries to take part.
To get the latest email updates from WalesOnline click here.
