September 08, 2020 - 1464 views
On the first day that local restrictions are seen for the very first time in Wales, Public Health Wales have published their daily update.
As a result of increasing concerns about cases in the South, Caerphilly residents have been told by Welsh Government that travel restrictions and a ban on meeting indoors will be in place until it is safe for the rules to be lifted, once containment has been achieved.
Today Wales has seen a further increase in new cases with 150 reported across the whole of the country. In the North, 15 have been seen in local authority areas - making up 10% of the Wales total.
Wrexham saw 6 new cases with 3 in Flintshire. Further towards the West, Conwy, Denbighshire and Gwynedd recorded 2 new cases each with none reported on Anglesey.
Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:
“Public Health Wales supports the restrictions which are being put in place by the Welsh Government and Caerphilly Council. These measures are essential to limit the spread of Coronavirus and bring transmission under control.
“The measures include the mandatory wearing of face coverings in indoor spaces such as shops by everyone over the age of 11, limitations on travel in and out of the county, and only allowing people from different households to meet outdoors, not indoors – this includes extended households.
“Coronavirus can be a very serious illness, especially for older people or those with existing conditions, and a decision to introduce wide ranging restrictions such as these is not taken lightly. We remind the public that they have a vital role in preventing the spread of Coronavirus, and that adhering to these restrictions is of the utmost importance.”
“I would appeal to everyone in the Caerphilly area that if you have even the mildest of COVID-19 symptoms – a high temperature or fever, a new and persistent cough, or a loss or change in your sense of smell or taste, or even if you feel generally unwell with no explanation, to make use of the local testing units.
“As children return to schools, I understand that parents will be concerned at reports of positive cases. I would urge you to follow advice from the school or local authority and only withdraw children from school when asked to do so.
"Social distancing measures that are in place are designed to prevent the spread of the disease beyond the ‘bubbles’ established in schools.
“Again it is important that children maintain regular handwashing throughout the day, and on returning home, and parents’ help with this is vital.
“We are now seeing a steady increase in cases in a number of communities across Wales, and our investigations show that many of these have been transmitted due to a lack of social distancing.
“This has resulted in the spread of the virus to other groups of people.
“We continue to appeal to everyone to please remember that, even if you feel that you would not be badly affected by COVID-19 if you were to test positive, should you pass it on to older or more vulnerable family members, friends or colleagues it could be extremely serious and even fatal."
