Local lockdown restrictions imposed to control Caerphilly County outbreak
Following a sharp increase in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Caerphilly County, new restrictions have been introduced to reduce the spread of the virus and protect public health for people living in the area.
The restrictions come into force at 6pm on 8 September 2020 and will be kept under review. These restrictions will apply to everyone living in the Caerphilly County area:
- People will not be allowed to enter or leave the Caerphilly County Borough Council area without a reasonable excuse;
- Everyone over 11 will be required to wear face coverings in indoor premises open to the public, such as shops (in addition to on public transport). There are some limited exemptions for people with disabilities and medical conditions – these are the same as for public transport;
- People will only be able to meet outdoors – people will not be able to meet other people from other households indoors for the time being. People will also not be able to form an extended household with another household (this is sometimes known as “bubbles”). This means meeting indoors with anyone outside your family is not allowed at the moment unless you have a good reason, such as providing care to a vulnerable person.
A full list of Frequently Asked Questions is now available.
Visitors from areas with higher incidence of coronavirus
There is Welsh Government guidance available on taking all reasonable measures to minimise risk to exposure of Coronavirus and this includes detail relating to visitors to accommodation and other businesses.
Premises that are in a position to do so may wish to consider their approach to accepting guests from areas/regions where incidence is higher. Many types of premises, such as hotels and other accommodation providers, will have discretion to refuse admission to people, and are likely to have advance information on the home address of upcoming visitors.
Any legal obligations with regard to individuals residing in areas of higher incidence will be on those individuals. For example, where restrictions on making overnight stays are placed into law for residents within a certain area, it will be those residents who will be responsible for abiding by the law. There will be no legal obligation for accommodation providers outside an area where travel restrictions are in place to check whether guests are resident within that area, or to enforce the law by turning people from that area away. They should not, however, knowingly accommodate people who are acting in breach of the law.
We encourage all accommodation providers to consider their approach towards guests who may come from areas experiencing lockdown restrictions or other areas of high incidence. Accommodation providers may wish to communicate to all customers with existing bookings, reminding them of the law and giving them a chance to cancel or postpone their bookings.
All managers of premises are recommended to consider what their approach will be. It is also recommended that the approach allows individuals a right to discuss their particular circumstances before a final decision is taken to refuse admission.
Business Wales is providing businesses with tailored support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues. We would advise Tourism businesses and stakeholders in Wales wanting specific guidance to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000, and to regularly visit the Public Health Wales website for up-to-date public health information for you, your staff and your visitors.
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