Holyhead residents told to avoid non-essential travel – and others warned not to visit due to Covid spike

Residents in Holyhead and the wider Holy Island area are being urged not to travel this weekend unless it’s essential.

People from outside the area are likewise being advised not to visit unless necessary following a spike in Covid cases in the area.

Whilst Anglesey is technically under the same “stay local” regulations as the rest of Wales, concerns have been raised over an increase in cases of the virus on the island.

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.

It has led to Anglesey Council issuing advice for people to avoid non-essential travel.

Although such instructions are not strictly enforceable under the current legislation, the local authority is asking residents to observe the guidance to protect each other.

We are extremely concerned about the Coronavirus outbreak in Holyhead & Holy Island. Given the high incidence, we’re urging local residents not to travel this weekend unless essential
 
We’re also urging residents not to visit Holy Island or Holyhead this weekend unless essential pic.twitter.com/5hEmxfhnGI

— Isle of Anglesey CC #KeepWalesSafe (@angleseycouncil) March 19, 2021

In a post on social media, the council said: “We are extremely concerned about the Coronavirus outbreak in Holyhead and wider Holy Island area.

“Given the high incidence rate of coronavirus, we are urging local residents not to travel this weekend unless it is essential.

“We are also urging Anglesey residents not to visit Holy Island or Holyhead this weekend – again unless their journey is essential.

“By doing so you will be helping us to keep Holy Island and Anglesey safe.”

Wales’ First Minister said today that “household and social mixing” were the main drivers behind the infection rate on Anglesey, which is currently the second highest in the country.

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

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Our TTP team recorded over 100 new Coronavirus cases in Holyhead from March 1st – March 17th. This resulted in more than 450 people being forced to self-isolate.

Sadly, latest data reports that Holyhead has a Coronavirus incidence rate of 503.9 per 100,000 people. pic.twitter.com/Ugg7D7xsjp

— Isle of Anglesey CC #KeepWalesSafe (@angleseycouncil) March 18, 2021

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.

Mark Drakeford also highlighted concerns over people’s “reluctance” to engage with Track Trace and Protect 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.”