With the number of positive Coronavirus cases rising steeply in Wales, a Pembrokeshire county councillor has stated that it will be ‘near miraculous’ if parts of the county escape without a major spike due to the shear number of people showing no attempts to comply with social distancing requirements, with many elderly and vulnerable residents of Tenby expressing their fear of venturing into town to shop.

It was announced tonight (September 7) that Coronavirus laws will be tightened across Caerphilly borough to prevent a local outbreak of the virus spreading, with the first 'local lockdown' for Wales since restrictions eased. A range of new measures came into force on Tuesday at 6 pm in a bid to reduce the number of new coronavirus infections, and people will not be allowed to enter or leave the Caerphilly County Borough Council area without a reasonable excuse Health Minister Vaughan Gething has stated.

The latest figures from Public Health Wales (PHW) on Monday (September 7) reveal 133 new lab-confirmed cases of the virus in Wales - the highest number since June 27 when 140 cases were recorded.

Since lockdown ended, authorities such as Pembrokeshire County Council have continuously highlighted the social distancing message to the public through various measures, including banners at hotspots across the county; whilst businesses that have welcomed visitors back to the area over the summer season, have worked hard to maintain a level of service whilst protecting the safety of staff, and at the same time calling on customers to respect measures in place to combat coronavirus, and complete the ‘Track and Trace’ forms.

In Tenby itself, the Mayor and town crier have even taken to the streets of the resort and Tudor Square on occasions throughout the summer with a ‘call’ to reinforce the social-distancing plea to all.

However, county councillor Michael Williams who represents Tenby’s north ward on the Authority, has stated that the numbers of people he witnessed walking through the centre of the town on Saturday, displaying no distancing of any kind, shows that pleas from the authorities have fallen on deaf ears, and left him in fear of the number of cases in the locality rising.

Speaking at a recent corporate overview and scrutiny committee of Pembrokeshire County Council, Clr. Williams asked how people’s ‘safety and fears’ were going to be managed, in striking a balance between welcoming tourism back and protecting the health of local residents.

Clr. Williams has fully admitted that it has been a tricky proposition to try and look after the health of the elderly population against the rapid influx of visitors and holidaymakers to the resort.

“As I’ve said previously, tourism is all we have and we cant do without it, but the cost to the community has become far more visible this year,” he commented.

“I’m tired of so many vulnerable local residents being afraid to go into the town centre for a genuine fear of this virus. Many no longer leave their homes, and those that do visit their local shops, do so early in the morning.

“To have to live in this manner is completely unacceptable. There must be a way found to enforce social distancing, either by police enforcement or some other means.

“For the sake of our vulnerable residents, who are so intimidated, enough is enough!” continued Clr. Williams.

“I have hesitated to offer any opinion of issues relating to our major revenue generator during this truncated season until today (Saturday), when I have been contacted by so many of our most vulnerable residents.

“I walked through town early afternoon and I was amazed by the complete abandonment of the legal requirement to maintain social distancing.

“It appears that most people now believe that Covid-19 has gone away, and this of course is a total fallacy.

“It’s a considerable time since I have witnessed such appalling behaviour by selfish and irresponsible, often oafish unpleasant individuals.

“If we in this area escape without a major spike in infection it will be near miraculous!

“We appear to have attracted a very different type of tourist this summer, maybe many would have been far happier in a different environment the type of which traditionally we have never offered, and the general standard of behaviour appears to reflect this. I hope for better next season!” he added.

Clr. Williams’ concerns come after nearby Carmarthenshire County Council called on residents and visitors to take responsibility for social distancing as a cluster of positive Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the county.

The council is working with Public Health Wales to manage a number of cases identified through the national Test, Trace, Protect procedures.

The cluster is centred around a presentation evening held on Saturday, August 29 at Drefach Cricket and Football Club, organised in breach of coronavirus regulations.

To date 12 people who are linked to the evening have tested positive for Covid-19 and all those who attended the event will be required to self-isolate for 14 days.

Contact tracers are in the process of making contact with all those who attended.

A closure notice has been served on the person responsible for the premises, meaning the club cannot re-open for at least 14 days.

The council said it is as important as ever that people recognise that the virus has not gone away, and is urging people to heed the national advice and take responsibility for keeping themselves, and others, safe.

Clr. Philip Hughes, Executive Board Member for Public Protection, said: “This virus has not gone away, and unless we all take responsibility for our own actions we will be back in the dreadful situation where we will have to enforce the closure of some businesses and restrict people’s access to services.

“Social distancing needs to be adhered to, people and businesses need to comply with the NHS Test, Trace, Protect programme, and everyone needs to play their part in preventing the spread of this virus. This event was organised in breach of the regulations showing a complete disregard for the wider public. Moving forward we will not hesitate to take action, including issuing closure and fixed penalty notices where sports clubs or businesses breach regulations and put the public’s health at risk.”

He added: “We are just beginning our recovery from this pandemic, and we do not want to go back to a place where we have to close our schools, restrict visits to our parks, pubs, recycling centres and more – this is the risk that organisers of such events cause in our communities.

“There is plenty of advice and guidance available from Welsh Government, Public Health Wales and on local authority websites in Carmarthenshire and other areas you may be visiting. It is your responsibility to stay up to date and take all action necessary to protect yourself and others around you.”

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Public Health Wales can confirm that we are responding to cases of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Drefach Cricket and Football Club.

“We manage any clusters of Coronavirus appropriately, including by providing advice around infection prevention and control, and by supporting contact tracing where required.

“We remind the public that they have a vital role in preventing the spread of Coronavirus. They can do this by always observing social distancing guidelines – that’s staying two metres away from others - washing hands regularly, and working from home if they can.”

Executive Director of Therapies and Health Sciences for Hywel Dda University Health Board Alison Shakeshaft said: “It is absolutely vital that we all abide by social distancing measures in order to protect our communities. Most important to remember is to self-isolate when asked to do so, keep 2m away from others outside of your household bubble, minimise your contacts where you can, avoid gatherings, and wash your hands regularly.

“We are working closely with the council and Public Health Wales, and this includes tracing potential contacts. Some people will be asked to undertake a test, but others will not need to be tested but will be asked to self-isolate and book a test if symptoms occur.

“All members of the public are reminded that if they have symptoms – that is a high temperature, continuous cough or loss of taste or smell – they should immediately self-isolate and book a test.”

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a high temperature: this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

• a new, continuous cough: this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste: this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.

Symptomatic members of the public can apply for a test by visiting the Welsh Government website and choosing either a mass drive-through testing centre or ordering a home testing kit.

Those without digital access can apply for a test by calling the free number 119 (between 7 am-11 pm) and people with hearing or speech difficulties can call 18001 119.