brought forward amid weather warnings for heavy snow over the forthcoming weekend. 30 january – two covid vaccination centres and a test centre are forced to stay closed because of snowfall. the welsh government extends the current shielding period for the 130,000 people shielding in wales from 7 february to 31 march. 31 january – gwent police announce the breakup of two parties the previous day resulting in over 20 people receiving fines for breach of covid rules. february 2021 1 february – the welsh government confirms that anyone in wales asked to self-isolate by the nhs covid-19 app can apply for £500. 2 february – nine cases of south african variant covid-19 have been identified in wales, with a further four under investigation, officials say. 3 february – public health wales has identified three cases of the south african covid variant that have no links to travel in the area. crime figures from october 2019 to october 2020 have indicated a general fall in overall crime during the first few months of the pandemic, but an increase in crimes such as cyberstalking and harassment. 4 february – health officials have found a travel link to one of three south african covid variant cases, but the source of the other two remains unclear. 5 february – education minister kirsty williams confirms that schoolchildren aged between three and seven will return to school from 22 february, along with some older pupils on vocational courses. first minister mark drakeford suggests that parts of the tourism and hospitality industry, including caravan parks, could reopen by april subject to a fall in the number of covid cases. wrexham centenarian hilda richards, 103, who lived through the spanish flu pandemic, is given her first covid vaccination. figures have shown that in increase in online shopping has led to a boom in recycling in wales during the latest lockdown. 6 february – the latest figures show that more than 550,000 people in the top priority groups have been given their first covid vaccinations in wales, or 17.7% of the population. police have been increasing their presence in penarth after local residents complained about the number of people visiting the coastal town, and consequently breaking lockdown restrictions. tourism bosses have asked for clarity from the welsh government over when and how wales will come out of lockdown. 7 february – first minister mark drakeford reveals that his wife and mother-in-law have been vaccinated for covid-19, but that he is yet to receive his vaccine. james price, chief executive of transport for wales announces the completion of the south wales metro, scheduled for completion in 2023, will be delayed by some months because of the covid crisis. 8 february – a further 12 deaths take the total number of covid deaths in wales past 5,000 to 5,001. the number of people receiving their first covid vaccine passes 600,000, meaning 19.2% of the welsh population has now been vaccinated. people over the age of 70 or classed as extremely clinical vulnerable and who have not received a covid vaccination are urged to contact the nhs for an appointment. health minister vaughan gething suggests that people may need "booster" covid injections in the future once more is known about mutations of the virus. 9 february – the latest weekly figures from the office for national statistics show a fall in the number of covid deaths, with 361 deaths in the most recent week, a drop of 86 from the preceding week. premier inn is investigating an alleged breach of covid rules at one of its hotels after the daily post published a photograph of a group of ten people having a party in what is said to be the restaurant area of the hotel. 10 february – andrew goodall, the chief executive of nhs wales, says there are "encouraging signs" covid cases in wales are falling. first minister mark drakeford confirms that wales has become the first of the uk's four nations to vaccinate 20% of its population against covid-19, and "one of the first countries in the world to do so". 11 february – the welsh government says it is set to become the first of the home nations to offer everyone in the top four priority groups their first vaccination. a report produced by sally holland, the children's commissioner for wales, highlights the devastating impact the pandemic is having on children and young people, with 30% of those aged 17 and 18 surveyed saying they felt worried most of the time. 12 february – first minister mark drakeford confirms that "cautious" talks have begun about reopening tourism in wales for easter. 13 february – kelechi nnoaham, director for public health at cwm taf morgannwg, has suggested that poverty and inequality are behind the high number of covid deaths in the south wales valleys. in response the welsh government says that an "unprecedented series of interventions" were introduced to protect people's health. 14 february – bow street railway station opens to the public, with plans for its opening kept under wraps in order to prevent inquisitive people from breaching lockdown rules. business2schools, a charity that distributes laptops and other refurbished pieces of technology to children, has said the drive to supply all schoolchildren with laptops for home study during the pandemic is falling short. 15 february – as figures show one in four people in wales has been vaccinated against covid, dr dr gill richardson, who is in charge of the vaccination programme in wales, says that it can now "fly", and that ongoing studies are being conducted into whether it will need to be a regular vaccine similar to the flu jab. as wales prepares to announce its pathway out of lockdown in the coming days, health minister vaughan gething says that future lockdowns cannot be ruled out. 16 february – the number of covid-related deaths in wales passes 7,000, and reaches 7,089, but figures from the office for national statistics show the number of weekly deaths has fallen for the third week in succession. nspcc wales says the number of referrals to police over parents' alcohol and substance abuse has increased. mind cymru has warned against the use of antidepressants as a "sticking-plaster" after health figures have also shown an increase in the number of antidepressants being prescribed to people during the pandemic, but that referrals to therapists have decreased. 17 february – public health wales confirms a further four cases of south african variant covid-19 in wales, bringing the total there so far to 17. 19 february – first minister mark drakeford sets out some plans for reopening society in wales. lockdown measures will remain in place for a further three weeks, but are slightly changed to allow four people from two separate households to meet up outside for exercise from saturday 20 february. drakeford expresses hope that primary school children over the age of eight will return to school from 15 march, and some hairdressers and non-essential shops can also reopen in march. 21 february – education minister kirsty williams says she is confident more primary school pupils will return to school on 15 march is covid cases continue to fall. 22 february – as pupils aged three to seven return to school, education minister kirsty williams expresses her hope that all pupils in wales should be back at school by the end of the easter holiday on 12 april. the welsh government unveils plans to help regenerate town centres as part of the post-covid recovery, with an extra £270m to help businesses struggling because of the pandemic. the federation of small businesses urges the welsh government to provide details on the conditions needed to lift lockdown restrictions, saying there has been a "radio silence" on the issue. pet boarding businesses have urged the welsh government to provide help, saying they have "fallen through the loopholes" of most covid support packages. 23 february – following criticism of the welsh government's school reopening policy by the welsh conservatives, first minister mark drakeford has responded by saying it is "not safe" to reopen schools in one go. 24 february – measures introduced during the pandemic that extended the notice landlords must give their tenants to leave a property from two to six months are to be made permanent with the renting homes (amendment) (wales) bill. colleges wales suggests that students studying practical subjects such as plumbing and engineering will have "inevitably" struggled during the pandemic as it will not have been possible for them to carry out practical work for several months. 25 february – the majority of planned surgery is cancelled at ysbyty gwynedd in bangor following an outbreak of covid at the hospital. 26 february – the swansea bay and hywel dda health boards are to offer covid tests to anyone with flu symptoms and/or who is feeling unwell after coming into contact with a person testing positive for covid, going beyond national recommendations. 27 february – families with a child under the age of one are permitted to form a bubble with one other household. the welsh government confirms over a million covid vaccines have been administered in wales, with 916,336 people receiving their first dose, and 89,053 their second, giving a collective total of 1,005,389. as wales enjoys a weekend of mild, sunny weather, police are patrolling beauty spots to ensure people continue to adhere to the restrictions. local authorities close a number of beach car parks at the request of police as the weekend progresses. 28 february – on the date that marks a year since the first covid case was confirmed in wales, health minister vaughan gething says the country could "definitely have done things differently". march 2021 1 march – a study published by the university of cardiff reveals that emergency teams saw a "rapid and sustained" fall in violent injuries during the spring 2020 lockdown. 3 march – senior pharmacist andrew evans suggests as many as 30,000 covid vaccines could be delivered each day by the following week after a large rise in supplies of vaccines to wales. a report compiled by the senedd's cross-party economy committee recommends that young people should be given access to training or work to avoid them becoming "scarred" by the economic impact of covid-19. 4 march – first minister mark drakeford confirms he is self-isolating after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for covid-19. drakeford suggests that with covid cases in wales "significantly lower" than in england there could be "opportunities" for some parts of the welsh economy to reopen earlier than in england. professor sir mansel aylward, ex-chairman of public health wales, says that not enough preparation was done in the uk to prepare for a pandemic such as the covid-19 outbreak, which was "completely underestimated". gcse and a level students in wales are to be given provisional results by their teachers in june, ahead of official results in august, it is announced. 5 march – welsh government ministers have said they will not cap pay increases for nhs staff after the uk government faced a backlash for giving nhs staff in england a 1% pay rise. 7 march – figures from traffic wales and the welsh government indicate that traffic on welsh roads has been 60% higher than in the first lockdown in march 2020, while many areas have seen a doubling in the amount of traffic in recent weeks. 8 march – covid case rates and positivity rates have now dropped below the level they were at the point when lockdown measures were triggered. 9 march – public health wales confirms the number of people vaccinated in wales has passed one million, with 1,007,391 people (31% of the population) having received a first vaccine by the previous evening. 10 march – the early years action group of children's charities have warned children under two have missed out on important social interaction and development because of the covid pandemic, and may subsequently experience problems later in life. a hearing of the senedd health committee hears that some patients with long covid "were told to go away and get on with things" by their gps. 11 march – staff at the dvla in swansea vote to take industrial action over concerns about covid safety after more than