Coronavirus: Carmarthenshire council 'won't hesitate' to close premises

Zoe Aspinwall said some elderly customers 'have no idea what they're meant to be doing'

Enforcement patrols are being carried out following a cluster of Covid-19 cases in Carmarthenshire.  

A senior councillor said the county council "won't hesitate" to close premises found not following the rules.

It comes after 14 cases were linked to a sports presentation evening which was held in breach of the regulations.

Council enforcement officers, working with Dyfed-Powys Police, will be targeting sports clubs, pubs, restaurants, and shops this weekend.

Improvement notices and even closure notices can be handed out if businesses are found breaching legislation in place to control the spread of the virus.

Councillor Phillip Hughes, executive board member for public protection, said the authority was "very concerned".

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"It's important that we stay two metres apart and follow the rules because we've had one cluster with 14 confirmed cases, with over a hundred people self-isolating," he said.

"This is how quickly it spreads in a very short time so it's important that any clubs, pubs, restaurants and shops adhere to the rules. 

"We won't hesitate as an authority to issue either improvement or closure notices as we have done in the past."

Councils have the power to close businesses not following coronavirus guidelines

But some businesses in Carmarthen say the rules are not clear enough. 

Zoe Aspinwall, who owns a pub, a night club and a coffee shop in the town, said some of her café customers - many of whom are elderly - were confused.

"The feedback we're getting from our elderly customers is that they have no idea what they're meant to be doing," she said.

"We're an independent coffee shop so we rely on a lot of local trade and most of our customers are elderly - they're more scared now to come out for a coffee."

People in Wales must wear face masks in shops and other indoor public spaces from Monday.

And indoor meetings of more than six from an extended household will also be illegal.