CALLS are being made for a hyper-local lockdown to be introduced in Gwynedd.

Plaid Cymru Senedd Candidate for Dwyfor Meirionnydd Mabon ap Gwynfor and MP Liz Saville Roberts have urged the Welsh government to adopt hyper-local lockdowns to manage the community spread of Covid-19 in Gwynedd, rather than bring in county-wide restrictions.

Both were responding to data from Public Health Wales which showed a recent spike in cluster cases of Covid-19 in parts of the county and called for any future lockdown to be ‘proportionate and targeted’.

Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “A county-wide restriction is a blunt tool and isn’t a proportionate response based on the evidence of transmission and the locality of cases.

"It impacts severely on the day-to-day life of residents, especially people’s mental health.

"I am of the view that a more targeted approach, placing restrictions on communities where there is an increase in case numbers and evidence of transmission would be more effective, and would allow a semblance of normality for others.

"The Welsh Government introduced such a targeted approach for Llanelli.

"They should now work with the authorities on the ground in Gwynedd who know what’s going on in our communities and ensure that any future restrictions are proportionate and targeted."

Liz Saville Roberts MP added: “I appeal to the Welsh Government to consider very carefully the use of hyper-local restrictions to manage Covid-19 clusters in Gwynedd as a more proportionate and reasoned means of containing the virus.

"For this to work properly, we must see tangible and urgent improvements in testing capacity and expediency so that identified cases can be quickly isolated. This must be resolved as a matter of urgency.

"Loneliness and the risk to the mental health of residents is one of the very real concerns I have around blanket restrictions, and the Welsh Government should be mindful of this when planning any future lockdown measures.

"Regular communication and mutual trust between central Welsh Government and local government in Gwynedd are key to effective public health measures and consistent messaging."