BANGOR will go into a hyperlocal lockdown from 6pm tomorrow (Saturday) the Welsh Government has announced this evening.

The Gwynedd city is to enter new restrictions following a sharp rise in cases, the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, confirmed this evening.

The new restrictions will apply to everyone living in eight wards, which make up the city of Bangor, namely; Garth, Hirael, Menai, Deiniol, Marchog, Glyder, Hendre and Dewi.

In the wider Gwynedd area, officials say there is evidence of transmission of coronavirus throughout the county but the incidence rate varies from 152 cases per 100,000 in Arfon, which includes Bangor, to 55 cases per 100,000 people in Dwyfor and 18 cases per 100,000 people in Meirionydd.

From 6pm on Saturday, people in Bangor will not be allowed to enter or leave the area without a reasonable excuse, such as travel for work or education.

People will also only be able to meet people they don’t live with outdoors for the time being and will not be able to form, or be in, extended households, with the exception of temporary bubbles for single people and single parents.

The targeted local health protection area in Bangor is being created in response to a significant cluster of cases, which has developed in the city – the incident rate stands at around 400 cases per 100,000 people. Cases appear to be closely associated with young people and the student population.

The Welsh Government has held extensive discussions with the local authority, Bangor University, the NHS, North Wales Police and public health experts about the situation in Gwynedd about the need for local restrictions in Bangor.

Further discussions will be held with the local authority and the incident management team about the wider situation in Gwynedd on Saturday.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Unfortunately, we have seen a large number of cases in Bangor, which is largely linked to people socialising.

"We have worked closely with the local authority, the police in North Wales and public health experts to assess the need for local restrictions. We all agree about the need to take targeted action in Bangor.

“We want to discuss the wider situation in Gwynedd in more detail tomorrow to decide whether we need to extend local restrictions more widely across the county area.

“While large parts of Wales are now subject to local restrictions, I want to be clear – this is not a national lockdown. These are a series of local restrictions to respond to rises in cases in individual areas.

“It’s always difficult to make the decision to impose restrictions but we hope that these measures will make help to control the spread of the virus. It is important we all work together and support each other. This isn’t just about protecting ourselves, it’s about protecting each other.”

The new local restrictions will be kept under regular review. They will be enforced by local authorities and by the police.