The communities of Islwyn joined the rest of Caerphilly County Borough Council area in being placed into a localised lockdown by the Welsh Government on Tuesday, September 8, 2020.

It is now against Welsh Government regulations to enter or leave Caerphilly Borough without a reasonable excuse, or for people to meet those from other households inside their homes.

As everybody in Wales now gets used to the requirement to wear masks inside public spaces we know the road ahead will be difficult. The scarifies made by the majority of Welsh people have been immense but we need to dig deep within our resolve to protect one another to endure further sacrifices.

The Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething issued a stark warning on September 14 over the prospect of another national lockdown as coronavirus cases continue to rise.

He said: "There's a limited period of weeks for us to reconsider the choices we're making and to behave in a different way if we want to avoid more local lockdowns or a national lockdown."

I would urge all my constituents in Islwyn, and indeed the people of Wales, to redouble our efforts in the fight against Covid-19.

The public health reminder of HANDS - FACE - SPACE should be memorised by all.

We need to ensure good hand hygiene by sanitising our hands regularly. We need to ensure we wear face masks indoors and where we are unable to observe social distancing. We need at all time to be seeking space from other human beings.

It feels incredibly unnatural but we must limit social contact if not avoid all together while our normal desire is invariably to seek out the company of other human beings

The borough, within which Islwyn sits, remains the area of Wales with the most coronavirus cases relative to population. There are some areas in the borough seeing more cases now than they did at the peak of the pandemic.

The First Minister of Wales Mark Drakeford has warned of a “gathering storm” of coronavirus.

Until there is the hope of a potential vaccine we know that the winter that is coming will be one to test our resolve. A recent survey estimated there is likely to be a 61 per cent rise in need at the Trussell Trusts network of more than 1,000 food banks this winter.

We as the people of Wales will be tested but I know our love for our fellow humanity will inspire us to continued acts of heroism.