OVER the last week we’ve seen the number of coronavirus cases quickly rise, with the most recent figures from Public Health Wales revealing 148 new cases in Wales.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 1,241, although the true number of cases is thought to be higher.

In a statement yesterday afternoon, Public Health Wales also confirmed that there has been a further 10 deaths, taking the death toll to 48.

MORE NEWS:

There were also 32 new cases in Gwent confirmed yesterday, bringing the total number of cases in the region to 514.

Dr Giri Shankar, incident director for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), said: “We know that staying at home can be hard, and we want to thank each and every person across Wales for doing their bit to help slow the spread of the virus.

“Members of the public must adhere to social distancing rules about staying at home, and away from others.”

The news came in the same week that Gwent public health expert Dr Sara Aitken warned Gwent’s NHS could become overwhelmed without a “huge effort” by residents to follow lockdown guidelines.

In a stark video message, Dr Aitken, director of public health at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said in Gwent “we are seeing a rapidly rising increase in the number of cases of coronavirus in all of our communities.

“Without a huge effort by all of us, we are heading for the moment in Gwent where our NHS will be overwhelmed too.”

Gwent’s residents have not only responded by staying well indoors, but also doing their best to show togetherness in a time of great hardship.

As well as applauding NHS staff from their front doors at 8pm on Thursday evening, we’ve seen an array of rainbows splashed across windows as part of the ‘Keep Smiling’ campaign.

Sarah and Leigh Gregory, and their two children Grace, 11, and Cole, two, from St Julian’s in Newport, even managed to create their own balloon garland from their leftover material after their events company was closed for the time being.

Mrs Gregory said: “With all our events cancelled at present, we decided to use the balloons we had to create the garland on the front of our home.

“We just wanted to make people smile through this difficult and uncertain time, so we thought what better way to do it!”

We’ve also seen plenty of brilliant community initiatives throughout the region.

Newport businesses joined together in the form of Paprika Indian Takeaway, King Kebab and N&B Cash and Carry to bring free food for the vulnerable.

MORE NEWS:

Staff worked free of charge and volunteers helped to deliver parcels around the city.

Organiser Shaz Miah said: “There are so many vulnerable people, especially with what is going on in the world at the moment, and we wanted to show that we are there for people.”

Ex-police officer Bernie Dawson from Caerwent explained how he helped set up a group to prevent scamming during the lockdown.

“I started a group last Monday after realising how much of a haven this had become for fraudsters,” Mr Dawson explained. “I suggested we had one leaflet placed in every home to provide a safer way of supporting our vulnerable friends.

“I was astonished with the support we’ve received from the community and the community council, who organised a meeting urgently and funded the initiative.

“By Thursday we’d designed a leaflet, gathered a body of volunteers, and had the first leaflets delivered to 95 per cent of homes in Crick.

Speaking about what the community has gained from the experience, he added: “I have no words to describe their immense character. I am an ex-copper who used to do a lot of this, and this is the quickest I have ever known an initiative to be up and running.”

Michael James, a personal trainer from Abergavenny, is offering free exercise classes for children via Facebook Live every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2pm.

Explaining why he decided to do the free classes, he said: “I wanted to give something back to the community and with the nature of my job and my wife being a teacher, you realise even more how important exercise is for kids, for their mental wellbeing as well as physical.”

Parents can tune via MJ Health and Fitness Personal Training Studio on Facebook and can also watch it back.

Most parents also took on the unenviable task of playing teacher as well as parent for the first week of many.

Dawn Lewis, who has three children, and whose husband Neil runs a busy butcher’s shop in Usk, says the challenge of playing “mum, dad and teacher” is a tough one.

“Neil’s been working from 4.30am until 10pm most days,” Mrs Lewis said.

“It’s not a nice time because the kids haven’t seen dad for a week.

“I’m trying to normalise the day as much as possible. The iPad goes away when it’s work time and we do home-schooling, but it isn’t easy.

“I find homework challenging, let alone home-schooling. If I wanted to be a teacher I’d have applied,” she laughed.

“I’m not putting too much pressure on them or myself, we’re just doing the best we can.”

MORE NEWS:

Sally Jones, from Abergavenny, has set up a tent in the back garden to give her children some escapism.

“Every day we wake up and make decisions on what we will do,” she said.

“Today is camping in the garden.

“We have tough times ahead, but we need to try and keep our kids and ourselves safe, as well as getting a balance with normality,” she said.

“I want to keep their minds off the horror all around us.

“The school has been amazing and send work daily.”

If anything positive at all can arise from our time in lockdown, it can be the solidarity shown to prove that while we cannot be with each other physically, we can be there for one another in the spirit of community.