June 02, 2020 - 1165 views
New cases of COVID-19 in North Wales continues to dominate the Welsh headlines today with 36 cases out of 67 reported in the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board region. This accounts for half of all new cases in Wales.
The region has higher numbers than other parts of Wales with Conwy and Denbighshire recording the highest new cases out of any local authority area in North Wales. In the past day there have been 13 new cases in Conwy and 10 in Denbighshire. Out of all the new North Wales cases, 64% of these are in Conwy or Denbighshire.
Sadly 7 more people have passed away after testing positive for the virus in Wales, putting the death toll at 1,354.
Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said:
“Contact tracing continues in Wales as part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ strategy. Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who have come in contact with an individual with Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in order to prevent the risk of others spreading the infection in our communities.
“Anyone who has a positive Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) test will be contacted by a team of contact tracers, and asked for details of everyone they have had close contact with while they have had symptoms.
“Please keep a note of your activities so you can easily remember your whereabouts on a given day, along with who were in contact with. You do not need to have any concerns about providing names to the tracing team. This is for everyone’s benefit and we are grateful for your continued cooperation.
“If you are asked to self-isolate, you should also comply with this request to prevent further spread of the virus.
“Tracers are trained staff and personal information that you provide will handled in line with data protection regulations and will not be shared widely.
“Over the last few weeks, Public Health Wales has been setting up the methods and guidance for how contact tracing will operate. We will continue to work closely to support local health boards and local authorities in delivering contact tracing.
“Welsh Government’s revised lockdown arrangements also continue. People from two different households in the same local area can meet up outdoors, provided they continue to maintain social distancing and strict hand hygiene.
“The announcement adds that, as a general rule, people should not travel more than five miles from home. This will help to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading as people begin to travel more.
“Revised lockdown arrangements also apply to people in Wales who have been told to ‘shield’ from the virus. They are able to go outside and meet people from another household, provided they keep a two-metre distance.
“Future relaxation of lockdown measures will also be dependent on everyone following advice set out in the ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ strategy, including self-isolating when required.
“Information about the symptoms of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to look out for is available on the Public Health Wales website, or members of the public can use the NHS Wales symptom checker."
