First Minister voices concerns over household mixing on Anglesey as cases rise on island

Wales’ First Minister has voiced concerns over “household and social mixing” on Anglesey with infection rates on the island currently the second highest in the country.

The current seven day case rate per 100,000 of the population for Wales as a whole stands at 43.7.

However, the figures for the period from March 8 to 14, stand at 127.1 on Anglesey – second only to Merthyr Tydfil at 147.5.

The infection rate in Holyhead is of particular concern, having risen to more than ten times the national average at 503.9 per 100,000 people.

Anglesey’s Test, Trace and Protect (TTP) team recorded over 100 new coronavirus cases in the town from March 1st up until March 17th, resulting in more than 450 people being forced to self-isolate.

The number of people testing positive for the virus on Anglesey as a whole has also increased to 11.9%.

Mark Drakeford highlighted the main causes of the increase at a Welsh Government coronavirus briefing held today, as well as discussing concerns over people’s “reluctance” to engage with TTP teams.

He said: “Here in Wales, the overall public health situation remains stable at around 44 cases per 100,000 of the population and a positivity rate of 3.9 per cent.

“We are however closely monitoring the situation in Ynys Mon and Merthyr Tydfil, where clusters of cases linked to household and social mixing have driven up rates.

“We are particularly concerned about an apparent reluctance in some places to engage with contact tracing teams.

“That contact is vital – it’s the way in which we identify the source of infection, and how far it has spread.

“The work of the TTP system becomes even more important as we start to relax restrictions.

“We have to act fast, because the Kent varian is now the dominant form of the virus in Wales and we know that it spreads very quickly.

“We can only do that when we all help by cooperating with the contact tracing system, as the law in Wales requires.

“If you have symptoms, the advice is clear – isolate and arrange to get a test. If your test is positive, TTP will be in touch with you.

“Please work with them to keep yourself, your friends and others safe from this awful virus.

“If you are on a low income and have to self-isolate, financial support is available to help you through that period.”

Council bosses have not ruled out the possibility of a local lockdown or closing the area’s schools once again in a bid to help curb transmission.

Mr Drakeford also refused to discount the possible move, but said extra testing was being carried out before any decisions are taken.

He said: “My colleague Vaughan Gething, as the health minister and Julie James, as the local government minister, met yesterday, with both Anglesey Council and with the local authority in Merthyr Tydfil.

“We are talking with them about actions that we can take together to address the circumstances that they are facing, and we’ll continue to do that into next week.

“There are more things we can do immediately like further testing, mobilising the resources we can provide to assist the council and that’s the plan that we are embarked on at this point.”

He also warned people about becoming complacent because of the fast moving roll out of the Covid vaccine.

He said: “People tell us themselves that when they’ve had the vaccine, they feel that it is safer for them to be able to resume indoor household meetings.

“We just have to ask people not to do that. You may have been vaccinated, but still most people in Wales have not been.

“Even when you have been vaccinated, it will take three weeks before you have any impact from it.

“The vaccine is not a silver bullet, it does not mean that people can meet in ways that create additional risk and there is some worrying evidence where we are seeing these additional flare ups of the virus, it is because household mixing is resuming.

“Vaccination is not an excuse for doing that and if we’re not careful, it will lead to the sort of difficulties that we’re seeing in one or two places.”