A WELSH Government minister has said that “swift action” must be taken now to halt the coronavirus spread in North Wales before it is too late.

Education minister Kirsty Williams addressed the nation during the Welsh Government’s coronavirus briefing on Wednesday, September 30.

Ms Williams addresses local lockdown concerns – which blanket a large portion of North Wales from 6pm on October 1 – and how schools will be impacted.

She said: “I appreciate how frustrating it is for residents in any part of Wales that find themselves subject to being in a health protection zones. Unfortunately, case numbers, incidents and test positivity are rising in Wrexham, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Conwy.

“The Government needs to take swift action now in order to curb the spread of the virus. Crucially we are working very closely with the local authorities across North Wales and they are part of the decision-making process that leads to us implementing a local lockdown.

“My appeal to those residents in those counties is that there is hope. Numbers in Caerphilly and Newport – some of the areas that were first subject to local restrictions – are dropping. If we work together in those communities to follow the new laws, we can lift those restrictions as quickly as possible.”

When asked by the Leader what disruption that local lockdown could cause to pupils, Ms Williams quickly responded that there should be very minimal disruption to education.

She said: “The measures themselves should not result in further disruption. We are very clear that schools should remain open and travel to school is permitted under the regulations because we know how important it is to keep schools functioning.

“The local lockdown itself should not create further disruption but clearly the virus will create that disruption which is why I am so grateful for the immense efforts in our education system that will minimise that disruption.”

Ms Williams acknowledges that there will be cases arising in schools, colleges and universities but notes that the Welsh Government “must do everything they can” to suppress that.

Data presented by the minister showed that Pubic Health Wales records indicate across Wales that almost 1,300 school settings have not reported a single case of COVID-19 and that a minority that report cases are using the testing system in place and have all taken ‘swift action’ to isolate the issue from spreading further.

In total, the slides presented by the minster state that 1,299 schools have reported no cases, 183 reported a single case, 47 reported two cases and a total of 22 were recorded as having ‘three or more’.

Further figures show that student attendance across the country is maintained at around 80 per cent – and accounts for students being asked to isolate in the analysed period.

Ms Williams adds: “The education family in Wales is working together incredibly hard to ensure that our young people can continue to learn in a safe and secure way and that we support one another with our wellbeing and to ensure the very best outcomes for children, young people and students.

“As always, I am grateful to the professionals who are out there day-to-day delivering these services and delivering to children.”