5 days ago
11
A "heat emergency" has closed more than 500 schools in Wales as the country prepares for a two-day red weather warning.
Schools have closed across mid and south Wales, including all schools in Blaenau Gwent, and most in Caerphilly and Bridgend.
Nerys Evans, the Welsh government's deputy minister for public and preventative health, called it "heat emergency".
A red warning for extreme heat has been issued for Wednesday and Thursday, and temperatures could hit 37C.
School closures have been confirmed in Cardiff, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Carmarthenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and the Vale of the Glamorgan.
Speaking on Radio Wales Breakfast, Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Isabel Oliver, said in these periods of heatwave, there can be "significant pressure on the NHS".
"But the health effects of heat are largely predictable and preventable so it is really important that we are all aware of what we need to do to keep safe and in good health," she said.
On people going to concerts and events, Oliver said mass gatherings can be risky.
"If people are feeling the effects of heat exhaustion which is tiredness, dizziness, headaches feeling sick it is really important that they move to a cool place, remove unnecessary clothing such as jackets or socks.
"If you see people suffering give them plenty of water to drink and cool down their skin with a cool cloth.
"It is also important to take care with alcohol and also sugary drinks can contribute to dehydration.
"The main thing is to be aware of what alcohol can cause on our bodies and make dehydration that we experience worse and some of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke worse," she added.
The warning comes as The Cure are set to play on Blackweir Fields in Cardiff this evening while McFly are due to play in Cardiff Castle on Thursday evening.
