A school and a business in Porthmadog have confirmed cases of Covid-19 amongst their pupils and staff.

Three pupils at Ysgol Borth-y-Gest have tested positive, and there are two confirmed cases at Aspire Park & Leisure Homes.

Dafydd Wyn Williams, chair of the Gwynedd Multi-Agency Covid-19 Prevention and Surveillance Group said they were awaiting confirmation of the virus strain for a total of five positive cases in the Porthmadog area including those at Ysgol Borth-y-Gest.

“As a result of these cases, 49 individual contacts have so far been asked to self-isolate,” he said. “All those who have been asked to self-isolate have been advised to look out for symptoms of the virus. We are grateful to them for their co-operation which is key to stopping the spread of the virus.”

The directors of Aspire stated this is “not an outbreak”. They said: “We can confirm that we have had two recent cases of Covid-19 at Aspire.

“On receipt of the news, we took all necessary measures to ensure that any risk was minimised straight away. The two team members are isolating, and as a precaution we have isolated other team members in accordance with NHS Track and Trace guidelines.

“The safety of our team and visitors remains our number one priority and we are working closely with the local Environmental Health team. We have closed our facility to the public for the time being as a precaution and our production facility remains open as normal with our safety protocols in place.

“We thank our hard working team for their support and cooperation”.

Gwynedd Council said the Borth-y-Gest pupils, “along with all relevant contacts from the school, are self-isolating”.

“The school has acted promptly and is working with the local Test, Trace and Protect team to offer advice and guidance to the relevant families. We send our best wishes to all who have been impacted and urge them to continue to follow the advice provided to help stop the spread of the virus,” they added.

Dr Eilir Hughes, leader of the Dwyfor Area GP Cluster added: “It is vitally important that anyone who develops Covid-19 symptoms self-isolates immediately and arranges a test by phoning 119 or visiting the gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test website.

“We would remind local residents and the many thousands of visitors that will be visiting Gwynedd over the half term holidays that they have a vital role to play in preventing the spread of Covid-19 by staying outdoors when in the company of others, wearing a face covering, observing social distancing and washing their hands regularly. When indoors they should keep windows and doors open to help bring in the fresh air.”