Monthly Archives: September 2020

County Council, Covid 19

RE: Remembrance 2020

The Remembrance period is vitally important to us all, in order that we can honour the service and sacrifice of the Armed Forces community.

The Welsh Government fully appreciates that Local Authorities, town and community councils, along with charities and the Military, will be planning Remembrance activity for November 2020 and we want to ensure organisers have as much information available to them in order to plan Remembrance activity safely.

Given the current situation with Covid 19, it is clear that Remembrance this year will look somewhat different to previous years and will have to take account of the current situation, reflecting the regulations in place at the time to limit the spread of the virus. The Welsh Government will be marking the occasion, albeit in amended format, with participation at the opening of the Wales Field of Remembrance and Festival of Remembrance (online) led by the Royal British Legion, and the National Service of Remembrance which will take place in a limited capacity and subject to guidance at the time.

In order that organisers can adhere to guidelines and safely plan Acts of Remembrance, we are sharing the current national and local guidance for Wales regarding Covid 19. As this is a fast moving situation, we will circulate updates as they happen and would urge organisers to regularly check and monitor announcements regarding permitted activity relevant to the area. It is not possible to predict where we will be in November as you will appreciate but we hope the following guidance will help plan activity.

Rules for outdoor gatherings and places of worship, are included in the FAQs and we hope these will help the planning of Acts of Remembrance e.g. At War memorials.
Links / dolenni:

Coronavirus regulations – FAQs / Rheoliadau corona firws – Cwestiynau Cyffredin:

https://llyw.cymru/rheoliadau-coronafeirws-canllawiau?_ga=2.62663532.1967293491.1600772643-1165475327.1570627919

https://gov.wales/coronavirus-regulations-guidance

Local lockdown information / Gwybodaeth gloi leol:

https://llyw.cymru/cyfnod-clo-lleol?_ga=2.63662959.1967293491.1600772643-1165475327.1570627919

https://gov.wales/local-lockdown

Guidance on leaving your home and seeing other people / Canllawiau ar adael eich cartref a gweld pobl eraill:

https://llyw.cymru/canllawiau-ar-adael-eich-cartref-gweld-pobl-eraill-coronafeirws?_ga=2.84521945.1771770827.1600963895-599435944.1574850030

https://gov.wales/guidance-leaving-your-home-and-seeing-other-people-coronavirus

Coronavirus and the law / Corona firws a’r gyfraith:

https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws-ar-gyfraith?_ga=2.108742722.1967293491.1600772643-1165475327.1570627919

https://gov.wales/coronavirus-law

County Council, Covid 19

Covid update Llanelli area

As you may be aware, there is a concerning growth in positive Covid-19 cases in Carmarthenshire, concentrated in the Llanelli area.

We have been involved in lengthy discussions with colleagues at Welsh Government, Public Health Wales and Hywel Dda University Health Board, and this afternoon have made a joint decision to introduce new restrictions for a large part of the Llanelli area as part of our efforts to stop the spread.

We are in the process of communicating to residents in the affected areas and speaking personally to local Members to provide as much information as we can.

It’s really important that our messaging on this is clear, therefore we would be grateful if you would share information from our website and social media feeds as an official source.

As well as outlining the new local restrictions, we are developing a range of frequently asked questions and will be adding to these over the coming days so please return to check for updates.

As always, thank you for your cooperation and for helping us keep our communities informed.

The new local restrictions for the Llanelli area as of Saturday, September 26, 2020 at 6pm are:

people will not be allowed to enter or leave the defined area of Llanelli without a reasonable excuse
people will no longer be able to form, or be in, an extended household (sometimes called a “bubble”)
this means meeting indoors with anyone who is not part of your household (people you live with) is not allowed at the moment, unless you have a good reason, such as providing care to a vulnerable person
all licensed premises must stop serving alcohol at 10pm and will have to close at 10.20pm
people must work from home wherever possible

The specific wards covered in the defined area of Llanelli are:
Bigyn
Bynea
Dafen
Elli
Felinfoel
Glanymor
Hendy
Hengoed
Llangennech
Lliedi
Llwynhendy
Tyisha
Swiss Valley

Residents can check if they live in one of these restricted areas by visiting www.carmarthenshire.gov.wales and entering their post code.

You will also be able to find answers to a comprehensive list of frequently asked questions on the website.

Testing
A mobile testing unit has been set up in Llanelli to manage the increased demand. Testing for Llanelli residents is available by appointment at the following locations:

Parc y Scarlets Car Park B, accessed via Trostre Retail Park, in Llanelli
The Ty’r Nant site (next to KFC), Trostre, Llanelli
The Carmarthen showground (signposted in both directions off the A40)

There should be no reason for Llanelli residents to travel excessive distances for a test, as there will be tests available in Llanelli and Carmarthen.

Tests should be booked via the UK Portal. Any Llanelli residents experiencing difficulty booking a test locally via the UK portal can instead email covidenquiries.hdd@wales.nhs.uk or by calling 0300 333 2222.

 

More information on Llanelli area 

County Council

Latest Carmarthenshire Covid News

With the situation in Wales changing day by day, the Welsh Government is frequently updating its rules and guidelines – I fully appreciate how difficult it is to keep up with the pace and range of changes, but it’s so important that we do. As I’m sure you’re aware, there is lots of advice, answers to frequently asked questions and links to the full legislation on the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council websites.

One of the main issues that has come to light recently, where the message needs to be reinforced, is that around the gathering of people and indoor events.

The general rule is that you cannot socially meet indoors with people who aren’t in your household or extended household. In addition, as of 14 September, meetings or gatherings indoors even within your extended household must be limited to 6 people (not including any children aged under 11). This also applies in places like pubs and restaurants as well as in people’s homes.

Of course, many Town and Community Councils own and operate social venues like sport clubs and community halls, and it’s very important that people are properly advised regarding reopening these premises and before attempting to organise an event in one of your venues. Welsh law imposes restrictions on people gathering indoors with others without a reasonable excuse and this generally means that any activities being carried on within your venues should have a reasonable excuse to do so.

It is not permitted to arrange to meet people outside your household or extended household to go anywhere indoors together, such as shops, cafes, restaurants, bars or pubs. Likewise, you should not arrange for children to go somewhere indoors together, such as cinemas or amusement arcades, unless they are part of the same household or extended household.

Whilst gatherings of up to 30 people are permitted outdoors it is expected that adults and children should continue to maintain social distancing whenever possible from people outside their household, or extended household.

https://gov.wales/guidance-leaving-your-home-and-seeing-other-people-coronavirus

You are very well placed as community leaders to ensure that this message is clear.

As you may have seen in the media, our officers are visiting venues across Carmarthenshire to ensure compliance with the Covid-19 measures. Whilst they are happy to help wherever they can by offering advice and information, the onus and responsibility is on the person responsible for the premises to ensure they are up to speed with legislation and have everything in order. As above, there are plenty of sources of information on the Welsh Government and County Council websites.

Lastly, at this time of year many of us are usually involved in organising community events in the run up to the winter season. In Llanelli, we have already made a decision to cancel the annual Christmas Carnival – this was a tough decision, but the right one. I’m sure you will exercise similar caution, with heed to the Welsh Government advice about community spread of the virus through large gatherings of people.