THE Welsh Government have been using the firebreak period to focus on the "ticking time bomb" of testing in care homes, Eluned Morgan said.
The latest figures in Wales showed that last week, more than 1,000 routine tests of care home staff took more than three days to generate results.
Others had reported four days for a result, and some up to a week.
Care home workers described the problems with the speed of testing as a "ticking time bomb" for the sector.
READ MORE:
- 44 new coronavirus deaths in Wales confirmed today
- Road closed as emergency services deal with incident - please avoid the area
- Caldicot community bands together to help town’s most vulnerable
Ms Morgan, minister for mental health, wellbeing and Welsh language, said the Welsh Government had been focusing on the issues over the last week.
Speaking at the Welsh Government's coronavirus press briefing today, she said: "We are trying to use this time during the firebreak to speed up the process of testing in Wales and to make sure that we do not have a situation where we see a spread of the virus within care homes.
"We have to recognise however, that whilst that spread is happening in our communities, there is clearly an increased risk for our care homes.
"We are also anxious to make sure that people who want to visit those in those care homes who maybe in desperate trouble, and for who it may be their last chance to meet their loved ones have that opportunity.
"That is why we have created guidance to make sure that they can visit in a safe way."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here