POWYS Christmas shoppers are being urged by Wales First Minister, Mark Drakeford to stay local and shop within Wales, to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Now that the lockdown in England has ended, and Christmas just a couple of weeks away, many people living close to the border will be popping over Offa’s Dyke to do their Christmas shopping in Shrewsbury, Oswestry or Hereford.

Following the easing of lockdown restrictions English authorities were split into three Tiers where restictions range from low to high.

Travelling to and from Tier Three areas (Level Three in Scotland) where the highest Covid restrictions are in place, is banned for Wales residents.

Travelling between Wales and Tier One and Two areas is not prohibited, although the Welsh Government advice is not to do it.

Both the Shropshire and Herefordshire are in Tier Two which is “high alert”.

At the Welsh Governement’s Friday press conference, Mr Drakeford responded to a question from Powys Local Democracy Reporter, Elgan Hearn on whether people should not travel to England to do their Christmas shopping.

Mr Drakeford, said: “All three places mentioned are in Tier Two in England, so the law in Wales will not prevent people from going there.”

“The advice of the Welsh Government is not to do it, because the further you travel and the more people you mix with, the greater the risk you pose.

“This is a year to go Christmas shopping in Wales, and stay close because in that way you can both celebrate Christmas, and do it without posing a risk to yourself and others.”

Earlier Mr Drakeford had mentioned that Wales was effectively a Tier Three area, and any changes to restrictions will be made at a national rather than local level.

This approach has been criticised by many in Powys and further afield, where the incidence of Covid-19 are lower than South East Wales where the pandemic rages worst.

Mr Drakeford was asked whether it is fair for Powys and other parts of Wales to have the same restrictions as South East Wales?

Mr Drakeford, said: “The position has worsened in Powys and five of the six North Wales local authorities today.

“The reason why we are treating Wales as a single area is to protect those places.

“Because, if we weren’t taking the same actions in those places of Wales where for now the virus is lower, all that would happen would be those areas would catch up with everywhere else even faster.”

He added that SAGE (UK Government’s Scientific Advice Group for Emergencies) research had found that Tier Two restrictions in England had been found as “not effective.”

Mr Drakeford added: “Why would I offer people in Powys a set of protections that I know wouldn’t protect them?

“It simply wouldn’t be right or make sense.

“Although it means having to live with these restrictions a bit earlier than numbers at the moment would suggest, it will help people in Powys not to suffer the impact of the virus that we are seeing in other parts of Wales.”

The numbers released by Public Health Wales on Friday, December 4 show Powys to have a seven day rolling average of 91.4 positive cases per 100,000.

For comparison, the data from the worst hit part of Wales which makes up the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area shows:

Blaenau Gwent – 502.4 per 100,000

Caerphilly – 324.7 per 100,000

Monmouthshire – 223.1 per 100,000

Newport – 333.6 per 100,000

Torfaen – 402.3 per 100,000

The lowest rates for the time period are in the north Wales authorities of Gwynedd and Conwy.

Gwynedd – 35.3 per 100,000

Conwy – 40.1 per 100,000.