Survey reveals 91% of Welsh adults support local lockdowns in areas with rising Coronavirus cases

The latest national engagement survey conducted by Public Health Wales has revealed that 91 per cent of Welsh adults support local lockdowns in areas with increasing cases of Coronavirus.

This comes as new local restrictions were imposed last week to control the spread of the virus in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

The survey also shows that 66 per cent of people think the national restrictions in place to manage Coronavirus are about right, with 29 per cent believing the restrictions are too little and 5 per cent believing they are too much.

Professor Mark Bellis, Director of Policy and International Health at Public Health Wales, said: “Due to the rise in cases in Rhondda Cynon Taf further restrictions for that area came into force yesterday.

Although this will be a blow to the people who live there or who have loved ones in the area, it is encouraging to see the support demonstrated in the survey for using local lockdowns to control the spread of the virus.”

The latest Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) public engagement survey report from Public Health Wales covers the period of 7 – 13 September 2020, when 608 people were surveyed.

According to the survey, 31 per cent of people say they have put on weight during the Coronavirus restrictions, although 23 per cent say they have lost weight. For the previous seven days, 30 per cent of respondents said they did no exercise.

Every two weeks, Public Health Wales conducts interviews with hundreds of people aged 18 or over across Wales, to understand how Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the measures being used to prevent its spread are affecting the physical, mental and social wellbeing of people in Wales.

Professor Karen Hughes who coordinates the survey for Public Health Wales said: “Keeping active, whatever your age or ability, brings real benefits to both your physical and mental health and wellbeing.

“The survey has shown that 43 per cent of people haven’t left their home to exercise at all in the last seven days. Some will be exercising at home or in the garden which is great, but others are not exercising at all.

“Doing something active every day can help put some routine and structure into the day, as well as managing your mood and stress levels and improving sleep. This is especially important during Coronavirus as more people are staying at home and social interactions have reduced for many.”

The survey is part of a raft of measures implemented by Public Health Wales to support public health and wellbeing through Coronavirus. Other measures include Public Health Wales’ ‘How are you doing?’ wellbeing campaign, created to support the people of Wales to look after their wellbeing and to ensure public health is protected during this period.

Read the full survey results here.