Town’s virus rate drops but lockdown is extended
THE local lockdown in Llanelli has been extended by a week but people have been praised for bringing down the rate of infections.
Carmarthenshire Council leader Emlyn Dole made the announcement on Friday, saying that the infection rate in the town was still three times as high as in the rest of the county. He said that when the new local restrictions were brought in two weeks ago, the rate of infection within the designated ‘health protected zone’ was 152 cases per 100,000 of the population.
Although the case rate has gone up and down over the past fortnight, the most recent data shows the rate of infection is now 99.9 per 100,000 people.
The rate for the rest of the county, excluding Llanelli’s health protection
zone, stands at 33.9 per 100,000.
Mr Dole said: “We’ve been monitoring the cases across the county very closely – particularly in the health protection zone – and while we’re relieved to see things are heading in the right direction in Llanelli, we need to be vigilant across the whole of Carmarthenshire as we are seeing cases appearing across the county.
“We are grateful to the people of Llanelli for everything they are doing to help keep Covid-19 cases under control. Over the last fortnight, the rate of infections has steadily gone down, and this is really pleasing. It doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet but we’re hopeful that the extra measures being taken by people living in the health protection zone will continue to make a big difference.
“We absolutely appreciate the impact these extra measures are having on
people’s lives, families and businesses. That is why we are reviewing the situation weekly.”
The rest of Carmarthenshire continues to be monitored and all residents are being asked to continue following the national guidelines to ensure the whole county stays out of lockdown.
The overall rate of infection for the whole of Carmarthenshire has now risen to 53.5 per 100,000 population.
Mr Dole added: “If the rate of infection continues to fall, we may be able to lift these extra measures placed on the people of Llanelli. If they don’t, or if cases continue to rise in other parts of the county, we may have to make decisions that affect more people.”
Test, Trace, Protect contact tracing has shown that transmission of Covid-19 appears to be largely between people of working age, with most clusters traced back to known premises.
In the past two weeks, the council’s enforcement team, supported by Dyfed-powys Police, have visited more than 200 business premises across Carmarthenshire to offer advice and support, and take enforcement action where necessary.
Ten premises have been served with closure notices following unsatisfactory inspections – some have since re-opened following significant improvements. A spokesman said household ‘clusters’ are also becoming apparent, which means the virus is being passed between people of other age groups who are living together. People are being urged to follow social distancing rules.
Director of public health at Hywel Dda University Health Board Ros Jervis said: “To protect our own health and that of both our loved ones and wider communities – from the fit and healthy to more vulnerable people – we must all play our part.
“Please continue to social distance and use other ways of connecting with people, as this is so important for our mental well-being. Wash hands regularly and wear a face covering indoors, and outdoors if you cannot keep two meters apart.
“Stay at home if you have any symptoms and book a test. There should be no need for you to travel excessively to book a test as we have good testing capacity across Carmarthenshire.
“And please, if you receive a call from a contact tracer, be honest with them no matter what. They are not interested in enforcement but they are doing their job to protect your health and those around you. Being honest and doing what we can to protect each other is so important right now.”
Councillor Rob James, opposition leader on Carmarthenshire Council, said: “It is welcomed news that the rate of transmission for coronavirus has reduced by a third since the health protection zone has been introduced two weeks ago. I have seen as a councillor in Llanelli town that local residents have been adhering to the restrictions, and the data backs this up.
“We have all had to make sacrifices in the last fortnight in Llanelli to support the effort to reduce the rate of infection and I want to thank local residents for supporting these vital measures. I am concerned, however, that the rate of infection across the rest of the county appears to be on the rise now. We must continued to work collectively to drive down the rate of infection in Llanelli, whilst tackling the rise of cases in the rest of the county.”