An ‘alarming’ spike in Covid-19 cases on Anglesey could see the island suffer its highest positivity rate since the start of the pandemic, it has been warned.

On Tuesday the local authority reported 29 positive cases on the island, promting council chiefs to launch a fresh appeal on residents to comply with government guidance.

Sparking such alarm, 88 positive tests already recorded during the first five days of January represent over a third of those recorded during the whole month of December (229).

Blamed on the impact of Christmas and the New Year period, the local situation is described as having “changed for the worst” with a “much greater” level of community transmission.

As a result, the leader of the council urged residents to do all they could to stop further spread across the island.

“It is now more important than ever that we all follow the all-important guidance,” said Cllr Llinos Medi.

“The rules are there to protect our loved ones, our communities and the NHS.

“I fully appreciate that the last 10 months have been incredibly tough and challenging for us all. We can’t let all this hard work go to waste.

“We must continue to be as vigilant as possible.”

The latest seven-day figures for the island show 168.5 infections per 100,000 people, which is over three times higher than those required last autumn to trigger ‘local lockdowns.’

The authority reported that over 14% of the 839 residents tested over the past week have reported back as positive – an increase of 8% on the previous week.

The council’s Chief Executive, Annwen Morgan, added: “We are currently seeing high levels of Coronavirus cases across all ages. This has led to an increase in both community and household transmission.

“I would again appeal to everyone to keep themselves, families, friends and Anglesey’s communities safe by complying fully with these current restrictions.

“The mobile Coronavirus testing centre is available in Llanfairpwll and I would urge anyone showing symptoms on Anglesey to arrange a test as soon as possible.

“If you do go for a test, it’s vital that everyone in your household self-isolates immediately until you get your result.”

On Wednesday Wales’ Chief Medical Officer warned of the the rapid spread of the new strain of COVID-19 that has swept across England over recent weeks.

Dr Frank Atherton said that cases were “very high in most parts of Wales” and rising, pointing to “rapid increases” in much of the north.

Any residents who are displaying Coronavirus symptoms must book a test before visiting the testing centre.

A test can be booked by phoning 119 or through the online portal: https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test

With the whole of Wales currently subject to Alert Level 4 restrictions, current guidance urges people to:

Stay at home

Meet only the people you live with

Work from home if you can

Wear a face covering where required

Wash your hands regularly

Open windows to allow fresh air in

Stay 2 meters from anyone you do not live with