THE whole of Caerphilly county borough has entered a local lockdown – the first of its kind in Wales.

The lockdown will come into force on Tuesday, September 8 at 6pm and comes after a rise of cases over the last week – at 133.

This sees the level of cases at 55.4 per 100,000 population - the highest in Wales.

In the new rules, people will not be allowed to enter or leave the Caerphilly County Borough Council area without a reasonable excuse.

Everyone over the age of 11 will be required to wear face masks in shops and people are only able to meet outdoors, with a ban on meeting with other people indoors and extended households will not be allowed to meet. There will also not be any overnight stays allowed.

The lockdown will be kept under regular review but the government are considering further measures if cases do not fall.

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Health Minister Vaughan Gething said:

“We have seen a significant rise in cases in Caerphilly borough over a very short space of time, which are linked to holiday travel abroad and people socialising indoors and not following social distancing guidelines.

“A lot of these cases are in younger people and thankfully, at the moment, most of these are mild. But coronavirus is now circulating in the community and it’s only a matter of time before we start to see more serious cases, which need hospital treatment.

“We need the help of everyone in Caerphilly borough to prevent the increasing and onward spread of coronavirus. We can only bring this local outbreak under control if everyone pulls together and follows these new steps.

“If we do not see cases falling, we may need to take further steps to bring this local outbreak under control.”

Councillor Philippa Marsden, leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council said: 

“We need to create a break in the cycle of infection we are seeing in Caerphilly borough at the moment and unfortunately that means introducing new, tougher restrictions.

“I would urge everyone living in the area to follow these new measures; to follow the social distancing guidelines and to wash their hands regularly. If we all work together, we can bring this outbreak under control and reduce cases of the virus.”