A local lockdown is to be imposed on the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, following a “significant rise” in the number of positive coronavirus infections.
Restrictions will be effective from 6pm on Tuesday, said the Welsh Government, and people will not be allowed to enter or leave the area without a reasonable excuse.
For the first time in Wales, it will be mandatory for everyone over age 11 to wear a face mask in shops. Meetings with other households indoors will not be allowed and overnight stays will also be banned.
Caerphilly county borough recorded 133 new Covid-19 cases over the past week, equivalent to a rate of 55.4 cases per 100,000 people. This marks the highest rate in Wales and one of the highest in the UK, and the Welsh Government said case numbers are expected to rise.
“We have seen a significant rise in cases in Caerphilly borough over a very short space of time, which are linked to holiday travel abroad and people socialising indoors and not following social distancing guidelines,” said health minister Vaughan Gething.
He added that many of the new cases have been found in young people, who have been warned by Health Secretary Matt Hancock that they risk the lives of their loved ones if they do not observe social distancing measures.
Mr Gething said while “most” of the new cases are mild, “it’s only a matter of time before we start to see more serious cases” requiring hospital treatment.
“We need the help of everyone in Caerphilly borough to prevent the increasing and onward spread of coronavirus.
“We can only bring this local outbreak under control if everyone pulls together and follows these new steps. If we do not see cases calling, we may need to take further steps to bring this local outbreak under control,” he added.
Over the weekend, community testing was introduced in Caerphilly. 450 people were tested and 19 tested positive on Saturday, giving a positivity rate of four per cent, which indicate the virus is circulating within the community.
Under the new restrictions, “reasonable excuses” for entering or leaving Caerphilly County Borough Council include for work, if people are unable to work from home, making a compassionate visit to a loved one or to provide care.
Additional reporting by PA
