The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy – Janet Finch-Saunders MS – has today (23 September) spoken of her concern about an uptick in COVID-19 cases across North Wales, asking the Welsh Government to facilitate with test availability so as to support proposals for hyper-local lockdowns. 

Her concern comes as it is revealed that local authorities across the region have been called into an incident management team meeting with the Welsh Government to examine the present public health situation. According to statistics released by Public Health Wales, Conwy has reported 21 new cases in the seven days to the 21 September.  

Commenting on proposals for hyper-local lockdowns, Janet said:  

“I am deeply concerned by this latest uptick in Coronavirus cases across North Wales, with rates of infection within several local authorities being deemed a cause for concern.  

"As further restrictions now appear inevitable, I am calling on the Welsh Government to urgently improve test availability across the region so that this data may allow for the consideration of hyper-local lockdowns.

“It is essential that measures taken to protect the public are proportional to the risk. Consideration must be given to the idea of hyper-local restrictions to ensure that as little of North Wales economy is closed as possible throughout the tough winter trading months. 

“I have also recently written to the Welsh Health Minister to petition for a change to the online booking system so that greater clarity can be offered to concerned parents as the new school year begins. This included proposals to make all slots at Welsh Health Board administered sites available for booking at the start of the day.

“We cannot compound this public health crisis with further economic damage, which threatens jobs and livelihoods. A data-led, hyper-local approach is the most sensible as this also gives due consideration to the impact of potential restrictions on mental health and social well-being.” 

ENDS