THERE were no new cases of coronavirus recorded in Powys on Monday.

Over the weekend, there were four more cases found in the county, taking the Powys number up to 285, although the true figure is likely to be higher.

The number of people to have died in Powys with confirmed cases of the disease remains at 13 – although the true figure is likely to be more like 84, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Around 2,000 people have been tested so far in Powys, and contract tracing has now begun in Wales.

Dr Giri Shankar, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “Today (Monday, June 1), contact tracing begins in Wales as part of the Welsh Government’s ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ strategy.

“Contact tracing is the process of identifying people who have come in contact with an individual with Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in order to prevent the risk of others spreading the infection in our communities.

“From today, anyone who has a positive Coronavirus test will be contacted by a team of contact tracers, and asked for details of everyone they have had close contact with while they have had symptoms.

“It will be important for everyone to keep a note of their own activity so they can easily remember where they were on a given day, and who they were in contact with, in the event of being contacted as part of tracing.

“If you are asked to self-isolate, you should also comply with this request to prevent further spread of the virus

“Tracers are trained staff and personal information that you provide will handled in line with data protection regulations and will not be shared widely.

“Over the last few weeks, Public Health Wales has been setting up the methods and guidance for how contact tracing will operate. We will continue to work closely to support local health boards and local authorities in delivering contact tracing.

“Today also marks the start of revised lockdown arrangements announced by the Welsh Government last week. From today, people from two different households in the same local area can meet up outdoors, provided they continue to maintain social distancing and strict hand hygiene.

“The announcement adds that, as a general rule, people should not travel more than five miles from home. This will help to reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading as people begin to travel more.

“Revised lockdown arrangements also apply to people in Wales who have been told to ‘shield’ from the virus. From today they will be able to go outside and meet people from another household, provided they keep a two-metre distance.

“Future relaxation of lockdown measures will also be dependent on everyone following advice set out in the ‘Test, Trace, Protect’ strategy, including self-isolating when required.

“Information about the symptoms of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) to look out for is available on the Public Health Wales website, or members of the public can use the NHS Wales symptom checker."