LOCKDOWN for the whole of the south east of Wales may be on the horizon according to Health Minister Vaughan Gething.

Mr Gething was speaking at the Welsh Government's daily coronavirus update briefing earlier.

Following the news that Newport and Blaenau Gwent would be joining Caerphilly in local lockdown, the South Wales Argus asked him whether that could signal similar restrictions for the other parts of Gwent.

"We may reach a point we need to take action over a region of Wales," he said.

"There maybe all-Wales measures, there may be measures that are under those taken in March.

"We don't want to see viable businesses go under because of coronavirus measures."

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He said that it was "possible" that restrictions, like those brought into effect in Newport and Blaenau Gwent from 6pm tomorrow, "would spread" [to the other areas of Gwent].

"It's about not just anticipating where we are, but the things we can all do," he said.

"The government has a responsibility, the health service has a responsibility, but the best thing we can do is limit the spread of the virus."

Mr Gething said that the areas being locked down tomorrow were seeing "more levels of community transmission".

However, he stressed that the decision of the Welsh Government to impose these tighter restrictions "isn't matter of division among traditional [political] party lines, this is a matter for the whole of Wales".