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Four city councils in North Wales will go into local lockdown in an attempt to address the spread of Covid-19.
Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham will face the same restrictions as in most parts of South Wales.
The lockdown measures for the North Wales council areas will go into effect at 18:00 BST on Thursday.
Vaughan Gething, Wales’ health minister, made the announcement in the Welsh Parliament on Tuesday evening.
He said there was a similar transmission pattern in the four North Wales counties to that seen in the south, but rates in neighboring Gwynedd and Anglesey currently “remain low.”
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Travel to and from the areas will not be allowed unless people have a “reasonable excuse” such as working or buying essential items.
It will be illegal to meet other people indoors who are not in your immediate home.
Tuesday’s announcement means 504,956 more people will be added to local closures, with a total of 2.3 million people under tighter restrictions than in early September.
The announcement follows a meeting between Mr. Gething, Prime Minister Mark Drakeford, and council leaders, police and public health experts.
Mr Gething said: “Much of Wales will now be subject to local restrictions, but I want to be clear: this is not a national blockade.”
“This is a series of local restrictions to respond to increases in cases in individual areas.”
Changes in the Covid-19 case rate in North Wales
Cases per 100,000 inhabitants, seven-day moving average