The evidence used by the Welsh Government which helped decide on a fire-break lockdown

At Monday's Welsh Government press conference, the First Minister announced that Wales would enter a 17-day national lockdown to prevent the further spread of coronavirus in the country. COVID-19 cases in Wales have continued to rise in recent weeks, despite almost 2.5m people living under local restrictions. In early September, Caerphilly became the first region to be placed under local lockdown rules, it was soon followed by Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend. Other regions have since followed, but the restrictions will now be replaced by new national rules announced by Mark Drakeford. The fire-break is being introduced to prevent the pressure on health services in Wales from growing, with warnings from both the First Minister and the chief executive of NHS Wales that critical care was at capacity.