AS THE county records its highest number of coronavirus cases in a single day Powys Teaching Health Board and Powys County Council is urging residents to support the firebreak lockdown.

Numbers continue to rise across the county with 47 new cases confirmed today, with the Bethshan care home in Newtown also confirming a number of staff and residents have tested positive for the virus.

The number of cases over the last seven days mean that the seven-day rate is now 83.1 cases per 100,000 population.

Last week this map showed how many cases had been found in each area of Powys.

Stuart Bourne, Director of Public Health for Powys Teaching Health Board said: “It is vital that everyone follows the current firebreak restrictions in place in Wales until November 9.

“The firebreak will save lives and help to protect the NHS.

“If we come into contact with fewer people, we will stop the chain of infection, help the NHS cope, and save lives

“It is important for all of us to remember that Coronavirus is still a very real threat to public health. All of us can help to Keep Powys Safe.”

We can all help to reduce the spread of coronavirus:

• Stay at home

• Wash your hands regularly.

• Keep a social distance from others.

• Do not meet anyone you do not live with

• Wear a face covering in shops, in indoor public spaces and on public transport unless there is a reasonable excuse not to do so

• Work from home if you can – and do not got to work if you have coronavirus symptoms

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a high temperature:

this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

• a new, continuous cough:

this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste:

this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

Most people with coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms.

If you have any symptoms, you and your immediate household must self-isolate immediately. Visit https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test or call 119 to book a test.

Cllr James Evans, Powys County Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Housing and Regulatory Service, said: “Confirmed coronavirus cases are at the highest rates we have ever seen in the county.

"Cases are being identified in all our communities right across Powys. We can see that the infection is being spread in a wide range of settings this includes within households, social gatherings, workplaces and care homes.

“The actions we all take are vital to prevent a further rise in coronavirus cases. We all share a personal responsibility to controlling the spread of the virus. The situation can change very quickly.

Our Test Trace Protect team here in Powys is working tirelessly to ensure that positive cases are contact traced, that contacts are advised self-isolate for 14 days, and that symptomatic contacts are offered testing.

If you are identified as a confirmed contact, our Powys contact tracing team will call you from 02921 961133.

Cllr Evans added: “Already the actions taken by Powys residents to provide information about their contacts has helped prevent many infections across the county. If you are called by a contact tracer, please help them in their vital work to Keep Powys Safe.

“We are grateful to everyone for supporting the work of the team.”