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People across Wales have been asked to take only “necessary trips” before hundreds of thousands enter local restrictions.
Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport will face new restrictions starting at 18:00 BST as Covid-19 cases increase.
People will not be allowed to enter or leave the areas without a reasonable excuse.
But Prime Minister Mark Drakeford urged the people of Wales to travel only if it was essential.
He is expected to announce more measures later, on the same day as plans to restrict the opening hours of pubs in England.
It follows a meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Mr Drakeford and the Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland and Scotland on Tuesday morning.
Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf were the first areas to have local closures in Wales.
Previously, Public Health Wales (PHW )’s Dr Giri Shankar said that Cardiff, Glamorgan Valley, Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Anglesey, Conwy, Denbighshire and Flintshire were also being monitored and could face local restrictions.
Speaking at the Senedd in response to Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price, Mr. Drakeford said: “I want to say something later today about trying to encourage people in Wales, just to take the trips that are really necessary.
“I think we should all ask ourselves, ‘Is that trip really essential?’
“Because the fewer people you know, the less trips you make, the less danger you represent for yourself and for others.”
But he said “many” of the issues the prime minister spoke about in England’s House of Commons have already been done in Wales, such as emphasizing working from home.
“We’ve never crossed the line of saying that people should get back on the bus and go back to work,” Drakeford said.
- Covid in Wales: Live updates on local closures
Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething will meet with local authorities affected by the tougher restrictions, as well as neighboring councils, the NHS and the police, for what he described as a “joint regional conversation”.
He told a news conference Monday that if the data suggested more restrictions were needed across the region “then of course we can make that decision.”
Dr. Shankar, director of coronavirus incidents at PHW, said that people were “really diligent” during the first shutdown and the number of coronavirus cases dropped, but success depends on compliance.
He said local blockades needed to be in place for a minimum of three weeks to have any effect, and a national blockade was expected to be avoided.
“I certainly hope we don’t get to that position, but if the number of cases keeps increasing and we see more people entering the hospital and needing intensive care and we see cases in our vulnerable groups … we might have to consider completing lockdowns.”
He said the number of cases was still rising at RCT despite the lockdown, but appeared to be stabilizing at Caerphilly.
“That does not always mean that people are not complying, we have also started active search for cases, so we are working hard to find cases and some of the case numbers can be explained because of that.”
Increase in Covid-19 case rates in South and West Wales
Positive tests at seven days per 100,000 inhabitants
The number of people hospitalized has started to rise, he added, and “sadly at some point we expect to see some deaths.”
Merthyr Tydfil has the highest Covid-19 case rate in Wales over the past week at 112.7 cases per 100,000, closely followed by RCT at 102.4.
Both Bridgend and Blaenau Gwent have case rates above 65 per 100,000 in the past week.
Caerphilly, under lockdown for two weeks, is down slightly to 38.7 cases per 100,000, but Carmarthenshire is now not far behind.
- Finding out the coronavirus statistics in Wales
Increase in Covid-19 case rates in North Wales
Positive tests at seven days per 100,000 inhabitants
PHW data, released Tuesday, showed the Wales average was 32.1 cases per 100,000.
The new restrictions affect 431,000 people, which means that just over 850,000 will be under local lockdown as of Tuesday at 18:00 BST, more than a quarter of the 3.1 million people living in Wales.
What are the new restrictions?
The six counties affected by the lockdown restrictions are contiguous in South East Wales.
According to the rules, no one can enter or leave the six counties without a “reasonable excuse.”
Excuses listed in the law include commuting to work if you cannot work from home, go to school, or care.
You can travel to buy food and medical supplies, seek medical assistance, or go to the vet and move home.
If you are shopping for essentials and there is no reasonable alternative to using the stores within these counties, you can.
However, in most cases it is expected that there will be alternative options, even if this involves traveling a little further than normal.
Other reasons include:
- Obtain supplies for the essential maintenance, maintenance and operation of the home or the home of a vulnerable person.
- Elite athletic training and competitions
- To provide or receive emergency assistance
- To comply with a legal obligation and to access or receive public services
- To avoid injury or illness or escape a risk of harm
Otherwise, the borders are effectively closed.
Friends and family can no longer meet indoors, while overnight stays are also prohibited.
All licensed venues, including pubs, must close at 23:00.
Companies ‘concerned’
Valerie Woodall just reopened her store, but may need to close again
Valerie Woodall, 74, who owns the Fairytale of Mumbles store in the Swansea area, reopened last Monday after being closed for six months.
However, since Swansea is being monitored for other possible measures, she is not sure what the future holds.
She said: “I don’t know what it will be like in a few weeks … possibly it will close again.
“I tried to be quite positive about it, I think it is very sad for young people and it is very difficult for people who are alone.”
Michael Greene said his fishmongers, Coakley’s, were busy during the shutdown
However, others find their services in demand as the lockdown looms.
Fishmonger Michael Greene, also in Mumbles, said: “It keeps us busy, a confinement is good and bad for us at the same time.”
Sarah Davies, a store manager in Port Tennant, said: “Stores have handled the queues outside quite well.
“The restrictions have been implemented quite well … in the area we have managed to remain relatively consistent.”
Sarah Davies praised the way companies in Swansea have embraced coronavirus measures
‘It’s something we were fighting to avoid’
Newport council leader Jane Mudd said she was very supportive of the lockdown measures introduced by the Welsh government.
“Despite the warnings that we had to follow the rules already in place, we have seen the number of cases continue to increase significantly,” he said.
Ms. Mudd added that there is evidence of people entering each other’s homes and spreading the virus, showing that social distancing has “expired” and demonstrating its importance.
“The vast majority have worked very hard to follow these rules and it is unfortunate that some have become complacent.”
Bridgend council leader Mr David said: “There is a possibility that we may be able to avoid local restrictions in other parts of Wales, but it depends on the people of Wales strictly following the law and following the guidelines.”
He said people should maintain social distancing, wash their hands frequently and “if they have the symptoms, stay home.”
Blaenau Gwent Council Leader Nigel Daniels said: “Only by working together can we help break the cycle of infection, protect our loved ones, the Blaenau Gwent community at large and prevent further more widespread restrictions.”
Merthyr Tydfil deputy board director Lisa Mytton said she was “deeply disappointed” by the need for a local shutdown, adding: “It is something we were fighting to avoid.”
‘Actions across the UK’
Following the Cobra meeting, a Welsh government spokesperson said the Cobra meeting discussed a number of actions across the UK in response to the increase in Covid-19 transmission.
“The Prime Minister also welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to having a regular and reliable pace of decision-making across the UK, with delegate governments playing a clear and important role in that process.”
