NEARLY 1,000 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in Wales today according to official figures.

Public Health Wales’ daily update shows that 979 new coronavirus cases were recorded today and five new deaths, taking the total to 1,703.

Ceredigion recorded four new cases today, with none at Aberystwyth University for the past two days.

Carmarthenshire recorded 28 new cases; Gwynedd, 18; Pembrokeshire, 12 and Powys, nine.

The new cases mean that the rate of infection in Ceredigion over the last seven days is 24.8 cases per 100,000 population, which, although is more than the population of the county, is the standard format by which Covid-19 cases are measured across the UK.

This means that Ceredigion currently has the lowest rate of infection in Wales, followed closely by Pembrokeshire which has a rate of 27.0.

Powys has a rate of 46.8; Carmarthenshire has a rate of 75.2 and Gwynedd’s is 97.1 per 100,000 population.

As parts of England enter into differing tiers of lockdown, Wales will introduce travel restrictions for those in the hardest hit parts of England from 6pm this evening.

 

From this evening, people living in areas with a high-prevalence of coronavirus in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will not be able to travel to Wales for the time being.

This also means that people who live in parts of Wales where there are local coronavirus restrictions cannot travel outside those areas.

 

Ceredigion County Council says it welcomes this announcement because the county, as it stands, has a relatively low coronavirus infection rate. But we all know how quick things can change, and Ceredigion has seen the number of cases double in the county since September.

 

A spokesperson said: “We are all aware that the number of coronavirus cases is rising across Wales, and everyone is urged to follow all guidelines to protect all members of our society, including our most vulnerable individuals. People are reminded to stay apart to play their part this winter by limiting their social contact as much as possible.

“Remember, in Ceredigion, you can only meet indoors with members of your extended household, and no more than 30 people can meet together outdoors.

 

“In light of this announcement, visitors planning to travel to Ceredigion for a holiday from an area of high prevalence of coronavirus are advised to contact their accommodation provider to discuss their booking in order to either cancel or move the booking to another date.

 

“We urge everyone to take these steps seriously to keep our families, our friends and our communities safe.”