WORKPLACES could be shut down by the Welsh Government in the event of further coronavirus outbreaks, the health minister has said.

Vaughan Gething said businesses could be forced to close their doors if there was evidence their operations were driving up transmissions.

On Tuesday, there were 642 confirmed Covid-19 cases associated with outbreaks at Rowan Foods in Wrexham, 2 Sisters in Llangefni, as well as an incident at a factory in Merthyr Tydfil.

Mr Gething said though transmissions linked with the sites now appeared under control, workplaces would be shut in future if they were "a motor for community transmission" and it would "help to keep people safe".

He told the Welsh Government's daily press briefing: "I remain prepared to exercise legal powers to close facilities which pose a public health risk from coronavirus if this is necessary.

"But the advice that I've received to date is that if the measures implemented are followed, then further interventions will not be needed or justified."

He added: "What we actually understand about both the outbreaks and the incident is we've been able to isolate people quickly and promptly, both with testing and follow-up advice in Test, Trace, Protect," he added.

"And that's meant that the operation of the businesses themselves hasn't been seen as the factor that has driven that transmission."

There are 218 cases associated with the 2 Sisters food plant in Llangefni, which restarted work on Sunday following a phased return by its workforce on Friday. All visitors and workers at the plant are believed to have been followed up and tested.

The Rowan Foods factory in Wrexham has 289 associated cases of the virus, with everyone connected with the site including close contacts of workers said to have been offered testing.

And the Kepak factory in Merthyr Tydfil has 135 identified cases, though an outbreak has not been officially declared at the site.

Mr Gething there is "no evidence to suggest any ongoing transmission" at the factory, though an incident control team continues to monitor it.

Meanwhile, Public Health Wales said a further three people had died after testing positive for Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths to 1,534, while the total cases recorded in Wales increased by seven to 15,900.