Now more than 25% of UK is in lockdown
MORE than half the population of Wales is under local lockdown after three new areas were added last night.
It means about 18 million people – more than a quarter of the entire UK population – now have to abide by tough new curbs.
The three areas facing new restrictions, which will apply from 6pm tonight, are Neath Port Talbot, Torfaen and the Vale of Glamorgan – all in South Wales.
The additions mean more than 1.8 million people in Wales – nearly 60 per cent of the population – will be under local lockdown. The Welsh government made the announcement just hours before restrictions came into force in Cardiff and Swansea – the country’s two biggest cities.
Those under local lockdowns are not allowed to enter or leave the areas without a reasonable excuse.
They will not be able to meet indoors with anyone they do not live with –
‘Trying to break the chain of transmission’
with extended households suspended. Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford said: ‘We’re acting to protect people’s health and to try and break the chain of transmission and stop the situation from getting worse.’
In England, ministers are understood to be looking ‘particularly closely’ at the North East and the North West, meaning more lockdowns could be imposed in these areas soon.
Yesterday Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, said that ‘draconian’ moves may be necessary if people refuse to stick to the restrictions.
Mr Dowden told Sky News: ‘The key thing now is that people stick to the existing rules that we have.
‘They observe the rule of six... wash their hands, make sure they wear face coverings, particularly indoors, and observe social distancing.
‘If we do all of those things, we can keep the virus under control and keep our economy open and avoid further restrictions, it really is in the powers of everyone watching this show to make sure they abide by those rules.’ Town hall officials are to be sent out in force to check whether pubs are closing on time and whether people are wearing masks and sticking to the rule of six. Ministers want local councils to take more enforcement action, calling in the police if need be.
Last week chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said cases may be doubling – but figures released yesterday did not bear this out.
It was announced that as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 5,693 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. This compares to a total of 5,040 the previous Sunday.
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, has demanded a ban on people visiting each other’s households in the capital in a bid to tackle a rise in infections.
As the number of cases rises, ministers are expected to consider this week whether a local lockdown needs to be imposed across the capital. They are looking at the data but believe the infection rate may be levelling off.