Stronger relationships between people 'could be a positive long-term impact of pandemic'

A total of 88 per cent agreed it may also lead to people keeping in touch more with family and friends, while almost two thirds said less pollution and people having a better work life balance could be other potential positive long-term benefits.

However, the survey conducted by Public Health Wales also highlighted that Covid-19 has had an impact on people accessing their normal medical services.

A report states that 12 per cent of people admitted they had shied away from visiting their GP or A&E when they normally would have done.

And just over a quarter of participants said they had a scheduled medical appointment or procedure cancelled due to coronavirus.

Each week Public Health Wales is conducting interviews with hundreds of people aged 18 or over across Wales, to understand how Covid-19 and the measures being used to prevent its spread are affecting the physical, mental and social wellbeing of people across the country.

More Covid-19 coverage:

• See the latest coronavirus stories from Shropshire and beyond

• Coronavirus: Latest number of deaths and confirmed cases in Shropshire, Telford and Mid Wales

• Star Neighbours - how you can give and get help locally

Last week, the proportion of people worrying ‘a lot’ about losing someone they love to coronavirus fell to 52 per cent.

In previous weeks, this figure was regularly above 60 per cent.

The report does show some differences between health boards in the proportion of participants that think they have had coronavirus, ranging from eight per cent in Powys to 15 per cent in Cwm Taf Morgannwg.

Professor Mark Bellis, director of policy and international health at Public Health Wales, said: “Despite all of the difficulties created by coronavirus it is encouraging that so many people are still seeing potential benefits that might come out of these challenging times.

“People across Wales have responded to coronavirus restrictions by checking in more with friends, relatives and neighbours and most believe these will be changes that last even after the restrictions have ended.

“Nearly two thirds of people think that we may emerge from the pandemic with a better work life balance and a better environment through reducing pollution relating to travel.

“In this report, we have also been able to look at different parts of Wales to see whether people’s behaviours and concerns differ depending on where they live. "Confidence in the NHS and positive attitudes towards both how the Welsh Government and how police are handling this crisis is high in all regions and this is a testament to the dedication and hard work of public services throughout the country.”

The weekly national telephone survey started at the beginning of April and is ongoing.

So far, more than 4,000 adults from across Wales have told Public Health Wales about how the virus and the lockdown is impacting them.