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The Government of Wales has announced a new local lockdown, and Bangor becomes the second specifically targeted place after Llanelli to see such measures.
The city of Bangor in Gwynedd will be hit by a series of new restrictions starting at 6pm on Saturday 10th October. It was announced when Gwynedd’s council asked the Welsh government to introduce a local shutdown there after a surge in Covid-19 cases.
It means that people in Bangor will have to adhere to the same lockdown rules that exist in most counties in Wales and in the town of Llanelli. You can read those rules in detail here.
These new restrictions will apply to everyone living in eight boroughs, which make up the City of Bangor:
- People will not be allowed to enter or leave the area without a reasonable excuse, such as traveling for work or education; you can read what qualifies as a reasonable excuse here.
- People will only be able to meet people they are not living with outdoors at the moment. They will not be able to form or be in extended homes, with the exception of temporary bubbles for single people and single parent families.
The restrictions are in addition to the rules that apply throughout Wales, including:
- All licensed establishments must stop selling alcohol by 10 pm;
- All persons over the age of 11 must wear face covers in indoor public areas.
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The specific local health protection area in Bangor is being created in response to a significant group of cases, which has developed in the city: the incident rate is around 400 cases per 100,000 people. The cases appear to be closely related to youth and the student population.
How many cases of coronavirus are there where you live? Find out with your zip code:
Gwynedd was placed under ‘active surveillance’ after a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases since late September. In the week ending October 4, the county experienced a 960% increase in cases, an increase in the infection rate from 7.2 to 76.3 per 100,000. The increases were related to students at Bangor University.
On Wednesday, Dr. Frank Atherton, Wales’s chief medical officer, said Gwynedd’s source of infection in Bangor had made the situation “easier to manage” in the county.
Prime Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Unfortunately, we have seen a large number of cases in Bangor, which is largely related to the socialization of the people.
“We have worked closely with the local authority, North Wales Police and public health experts to assess the need for local restrictions. We all agree on the need for specific action in Bangor.
“We want to discuss the broader situation in Gwynedd in more detail tomorrow to decide if we need to extend local restrictions more widely in the county area.
“While much of Wales is now subject to local restrictions, I want to be clear: this is not a national blockade. It involves a series of local restrictions to respond to increases in cases in individual areas.
“It is always difficult to make the decision to impose restrictions but we hope that these measures will help to control the spread of the virus. It is important that we all work together and support each other. It’s not just about protecting ourselves, it’s about protecting each other. “
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