Gwynedd residents are being urged to stick to Covid-19 rules after figures showed the county had the highest coronavirus infection rate in Wales.

The council issued the warning after figures on Friday showed Gwynedd’s incidence rate over the past seven days was 89.1 per 100,000), above the national average of 50.9 per 100,000.

Unlike most other Welsh counties, the number of reported Covid-19 infections is not decreasing significantly week on week.

Dafydd Williams, Gwynedd Council’s head of environment and chair of Gwynedd Prevention and Surveillance Group said: “It is almost a year since the first lockdown was introduced and we know that it has been an incredibly difficult time for everyone.

"The vaccination programme is gathering pace and we can look forward to some light at the end of the tunnel.

“As a county, we have achieved so much together to protect Gwynedd’s communities.

"But now is not the time to let our guard down – we appreciate that the picture nationally is improving, but the situation in Gwynedd remains a cause for concern.

“We know that people want to get back to life as it was before Covid-19, but the fact is that the virus remains a very real threat.

"The latest figures show that we cannot let our guard down and that we must continue to follow the Covid-19 rules.

“For now, we need to stick to the basic rules to keep each other safe and to protect the vital NHS services we rely on.

“By playing your part to control the spread of this virus, you will undoubtedly save lives here in Gwynedd.”

Gwynedd Council says to keep your communities safe, please remember to:

· stay at home

· work from home if you can

· wear a face covering where required

· open windows to allow fresh air in

· wash your hands regularly

· stay two metres from anyone you do not live with.

Anyone showing symptoms should start self-isolating along with all their household members and arrange a test immediately.

There are a number of testing centres located here in Gwynedd.