THE leader of Newport City Council has issued a plea to residents and visitors to follow social distancing rules as the city saw a rise in coronavirus cases.

Cllr Jane Mudd has warned that cases are on the rise in Newport, with a further 10 people confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 on Friday.

Three more city schools – Eveswell, St Gabriel’s and Malpas Park primaries – also confirmed positive cases of coronavirus on the same day.

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“Today I am reaching out to every resident of Newport and every visitor to our city to act now to reduce the spread of the virus,” Cllr Mudd said. “Covid-19 has not gone away – cases are on the rise in Newport.

“I urge you to remind yourselves of the rules and guidance and make sure you follow them without fail.”

There have been 52 new cases confirmed in Newport in the past two weeks, according to Public Health Wales.

The case rate per 100,000 population in Newport for the past week is 29.1.

The rise comes as neighbouring county, Caerphilly, was put into a local lockdown following a spike in cases.

“Covid is closer than we think and reports are coming in of positive cases linked to all sorts of settings and gatherings,” Cllr Mudd said.

“We have all appreciated and enjoyed a little more freedom since full-lockdown was lifted and we want it to continue.

“But we can only achieve that if we take these necessary precautions.

“As a council we are working closely with businesses and organisations to ensure social distancing is supported and maintained.

“But when we do go out – be it to a shop, restaurant, on a bus or to school, we must also take responsibility for our actions – to protect ourselves, our friends and family and everyone we come in contact with.”