Call to work together to give fire-break chance to be successful

PEOPLE in Carmarthenshire are being encouraged to work together to ensure the fire-break has the chance to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.

As the country heads into a two-week national lockdown, Carmarthenshire Council said the restrictions put in place in Llanelli prove that people can make a difference. Residents there are being praised for their efforts over the last four weeks.

Whilst cases in Llanelli have dropped since the restrictions were introduced on September 25, they have steadily increased in other areas of Carmarthenshire.

The rate of infection in the Llanelli health protection zone currently stands at 112.4 per 100,000 of the population.

The rest of Carmarthenshire – outside the Llanelli zone – stands at 58.8 per 100,000 of the population.

Carmarthenshire as a whole now has an infection rate of 74.7 per 100,000 of the population.

All data is correct as at 1pm on October 21, 2020.

Council leader councillor Emlyn Dole said the fire-break is an opportunity to break the chain.

“None of us want to be in this position, we’re all frustrated and exhausted after months of living through this pandemic, but unless we work together to make a change we will be living with the impact of Covid-19 for much longer,” he said.

“We’re now seeing numbers surge in almost every part of the country and more people being admitted to hospital – while absolutely appreciating the impact that restrictions have on our daily lives, and on our businesses, we have to put people’s health first.

“We’ve seen in Llanelli that restrictions work – I want to say thank you to residents there for playing a part in slowing the spread of infections. Those efforts have undoubtedly made a difference – the reality of the situation is that by making that effort fewer people risk becoming gravely ill.

“Now, it’s time for all of us to make a difference. Let’s stay home and give this fire-break a chance to make the right impact. We have to protect eachother, and our wonderful NHS. Here’s our opportunity to do that.”