Swansea, Llanelli and Cardiff On Local Lockdown From Weekend

348 new confirmed cases of coronavirus were recorded in Wales yesterday.

Local lockdown measures will come into force in Llanelli from Saturday at 6pm.

Swansea and Cardiff face local lockdowns from Sunday at 6pm.

Under the rules, nobody is able to enter or leave without a "reasonable excuse".

People are allowed to travel to outside the area for a limited number of reasons.

These include going to work if they are not able to work from home, to go to school, give care and buy food or medical supplies.

Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:

“The new restrictions announced today for Cardiff, Swansea and Llanelli are welcomed by Public Health Wales.

“These restrictions mean that pubs, restaurants and other licensed premises must close at 10pm, and offer table service only. Off licenses, including supermarkets and other retail outlets, must also stop selling alcohol at 10pm.

“The rules on extended households – or “bubbles” – have changed. Under the new restrictions, people cannot meet indoors with anyone they do not live with.

“Further details of these rules can be found on the Welsh Government website.

“As well as observing the current and new restrictions coming into place, I would also urge people to download the new NHS COVID-19 app which launched yesterday (24 September 2020).

“The app forms a central part of the NHS Wales Test Trace Protect programme. We would encourage as many people to download and use the app as possible to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

“Some of the new restrictions announced earlier this week around pubs and restaurants will come into force today. These restrictions mean that pubs, restaurants and other licensed premises must close at 10pm, and offer table service only. Off licenses, including supermarkets and other retail outlets, must also stop selling alcohol at 10pm.

“The ‘rule of six’ means that only six people from the same extended household can meet indoors.

“In addition, the Welsh Government has announced strengthened regulations and support for employees and employers who are required to self-isolate.

“In the areas where local restrictions have been brought in (the council areas of Caerphilly County, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent and Newport), then those rules must be followed. Details of these rules can be found on the Welsh Government website.

“We are continuing to see a steady increase in cases in many communities across Wales, and our investigations show that many of these have been transmitted due to a lack of social distancing.

“The council areas of Cardiff, Swansea, the Vale of Glamorgan, Carmarthen, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire are all areas of concern to us and we are watching the data from there carefully, but numbers of cases are increasing in all parts of Wales so there is no room for complacency in any area.

“We are also seeing an increase in the number of people who are seriously ill and have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

“We are concerned that much of the good work conducted over the past few months is at risk of going to waste. If the situation continues to worsen, we may find ourselves at the same levels of infection that we experienced earlier this year in March and April; and with that comes the potential for more extended restrictions to be imposed nationally.

“Coronavirus has not gone away. It remains the responsibility of everyone to help prevent the spread of this virus to protect older and vulnerable family members and friends. They should do this by self-isolating when asked to do so, staying two metres away from others, and by washing hands regularly.

“Public Health Wales is urging all eligible people in Wales to have their free flu vaccine as NHS Wales begins its largest ever national flu vaccine programme.

“Flu (also known as influenza) can be serious, particularly for those who are older or have a health condition and are more vulnerable to complications as a result of the flu. Having a flu vaccine every year is one of the most effective ways to protect against flu.

“Those eligible for a free NHS flu vaccine include people with long term health conditions, people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children aged two to ten years old, carers, domiciliary carers and care home staff with regular client contact as well as care home residents."

Rhondda Cynon Taff is facing a few more weeks in lockdown due to a continuing rise in cases.

Caerphilly's measures will stay in place for at least another week despite a decline in cases there.

Meetings will also take place next week with council leaders in north Wales as the region continues to be monitored.

Responding to the news that additional restrictions are being imposed on Llanelli on Saturday, and the local authority areas of Cardiff and Swansea on Sunday, Plaid Cymru Shadow Health Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

“While a prudent local response is supported, Welsh Government should seriously consider the earlier closing of pubs and bars as a temporary measure in other areas, so as to help avoid further county-wide restrictions.

“The domino effect of local authority areas being closed doesn’t have to be inevitable, but will become so if more far-reaching preventative measures are not brought in.

“The hyperlocal response to restrictions in Carmarthenshire make sense when transmission is concentrated in just the Llanelli area, but this should be applied consistently. Could the Llantrisant area, with its relatively low case numbers, have been left out of the tight RCT-wide restrictions, for example?”

CBI Wales Director Ian Price has issued a statement saying: “Businesses affected know public health must come first and have been doing everything they can to keep staff and customers safe, whether in pubs, shops, or factories.

“However, there is no doubt that this news will come as a disappointment for many firms - particularly as it affects the Welsh capital’s hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors.

“We know the Welsh Government cannot stand by as infection rates rise and that taking action now can help to maintain confidence and avoid further restrictions in the months ahead.

“While the Chancellor has taken bold and decisive action to support jobs and companies’ cashflow across the UK, Welsh firms remain under extreme pressure. That’s why we need the UK and Welsh governments to work together and use whatever tools at their disposal to protect lives and livelihoods in the coming weeks and months.”