THERE have been new 39 cases of coronavirus confirmed in Powys today (Thursday, November 12).

The total number of lab-confirmed cases of the virus in Powys since the outbreak of the pandemic now stands at 1,129.

No further deaths with the virus in Powys have been recorded meaning the total number of people to have died from Covid-19 in the county remains at 20.

Public Health Wales' figures mostly involve hospital deaths and only include cases when the virus has been confirmed in a laboratory test. The figures do not include deaths of residents from Powys in hospitals in England, although these are included in Office for National Statistics (ONS) data.

ONS figures, considered a stronger indicator of the overall impact of the virus, and which are based on all deaths where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate, stand at 98 in Powys.

Powys stats:

Powys position among Welsh local authorities for rate of new cases – joint 16th out of 22

New cases in November 12 data – 39

Rate of new cases per 100,000 in week to November 7 – 121.6

Newly-confirmed cases day-by-day:

Thursday, November 12 – 39

Wednesday, November 11 – 30

Tuesday, November 10 – 18

Monday, November 9 – 7

Sunday, November 8 – 22

Saturday, November 7 – 25

Friday, November 6 – 48

The national picture:

Wednesday's figures reveal that 34 more people have died with coronavirus – meaning a total of 2,142 people have died in Wales since the start of the pandemic.

A total of 63,151 cases have now been confirmed in Wales, 867 of which are new today.

New rules have come into place in Wales since the 'firebreak' lockdown period ended.

These include two households in Wales will now be able to form a bubble and meet at home.

There will be no travel restrictions within Wales, but people will not be able to leave the country except for essential purposes such as work during England's four-week lockdown. People living in Wales will be allowed to go on holiday in Wales. People who live and work on different sides of the Wales-England border will still be able to travel between the two nations.

All businesses that were closed throughout the firebreak are able to reopen. Rules for the hospitality industry are being given further consideration.

Groups of 15 are allowed to meet for organised indoors activities. Outdoors, 30 people will be able to meet for organised activities under the rules, which will be reviewed in a fortnight.

Public Health Wales' statement

Dr Eleri Davies, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Public Health Wales strongly advises the public to take personal responsibility for their actions and to ensure that we are all doing as much as possible to limit the transmission of Coronavirus.

“As we approach the first weekend since the fire-break restrictions have been lifted, we would remind everyone that Coronavirus is still active in our communities, and therefore this does not mean a return to normality.

“We ask the public to observe the new regulations and to limit their contact with other people as much as possible so that we all work together to bring the numbers of positive cases down.

“This means staying out of other people’s homes, limiting the times and the numbers of people that you meet, maintaining social distancing and hand hygiene, working from home if you can, and self-isolating if you show symptoms of coronavirus or are asked to do so by contact tracers.

“It is extremely important that we only make essential journeys, maintain strict social distancing with those we don’t live with, and reduce the number of people that we meet. All of these actions will help to break the chains of transmission, reduce the spread of the virus, and keep people safe.

“We understand that people will want to carry on with their Christmas shopping now the fire-break has ended and so we would suggest to try to visit shops during off-peak times, to always maintain social distancing and to wear a face covering if you can. Options such as ‘click and collect’ or online purchasing may also be something to consider.

“This Saturday is Diwali, a festival which is celebrated by large numbers of people from India and of Indian heritage. We would ask those who are celebrating to do so safely, within your own household, and remember the regulations if you go out. If you choose to use fireworks, please take care and follow the fireworks code to avoid injury. We wish everyone celebrating a happy Diwali."