The Welsh government has made some changes to the level 4 lock-down rules that have been in place in Wales since December 2020.
STAY LOCAL is the new slogan in Wales (5 miles)
Meaning people are now be able to travel up to five miles apart, which will remain in place for two weeks. From this point we are looking at more freedom to move around Wales will be implemented from March 27th.
People can expect, in the coming weeks and months, more relaxed rules on things such as tourism, non-essential shops with more household meetings allowed.
I can be all a bit confusing with each country in the U.K having different rules, so we have tried to make things clear below:
March 13
- ‘Stay local’ rule is now implimented across all of Wales – This is the same 5 mile rule we had before. Its important to remember this is a rule of thumb with rural communities able to travel further.
- Care home visiting – People in care homes will now be allowed to have a single designated visitor.
- Meeting in gardens – Four people from two different households will be able to socialise one again in gardens, also Mr Drakeford was clear that gardens where the only access is allowed through the house is allowed but the 2 meter rule is applied and you must go straight through.
- Outdoor sports facilities can open – Including but not limited to outdoor gyms, football fields and tennis courts as well as golf courses. However this is still be limited by the five-mile rule.
March 15
- Hairdressers and barbers open – Bookings only, we are waiting for clarification on mobile barbers.
- All primary school pupils are allowed back to school – Primary school children of all ages are allowed back to school.
- Exams return – young people who are facing their exams such as years 11 and 13 are allowed to return along with college students who have exams
- Check in sessions for years 7, 8, 9 – Early High School pupils will not be returning until after the Easter holidays, there will be checking with us to let us all know if anything changes.
March 22
- Reopening of non-essential retail- This is a phased reopening, this first stage will just mean supermarkets will no longer be limited on what they are allowed to sell. This does not apply to most other shops.
- Garden centers open –
March 27
- Self-contained accommodation reopens – Caravans and other self contained accommodation will be able to open from this point. However people from England will not yet be able to book as their rules there will not allow that just yet.
- Stay local ends – An important day where Wales will be allowed to travel across the country and further than the 5 miles.
April 2
- Next three week review – This is when the Welsh Government will review the restrictions. If there have been dramatic changes in the rates of infection or other indicators like hospital admission they may tweak future plans or reverse restrictions that have been lifted.
April 12
- All shops and close contact services re-open – From April 12 all shops will then reopen.
- All remaining pupils return to schools – Years seven, eight and nine will go back to school. Making it over three months since they were last regularly attending.
Second half of April
From here on the second half of April things are not as certain.
We are told if the cases stay low, the government will consider a menu of options which will include three things:
- An extension of household bubbles
- Possible reopening of outdoor hospitality
- Certain types of gyms may open again
Mr Drakeford said in the press conference that it was possible that not all three of these measures would be lifted simultaneously.
May 6
- Senedd election – The Senedd election will not be postponed meaning it will go ahead as planned on May 6. A Welsh Government statement today said that leafleting would be allowed but knocking on doors by campaigners would not.
May 17 (at the earliest)
- Flights abroad from Cardiff Airport.
Wales would not be opening Cardiff Airport before the 17th on May which is a provisional date the UK Government has given.
“In the Prime Minister’s English lock-down plan no flights can resume until the 17th of May,” said Mr Drakeford. “So no flights in Wales will resume before that date.”
“I am anxious about that date because I do not want to see all the hard work that people have invested in this put at risk with the importation of the virus from elsewhere.
“I have raised it with UK ministers and they have said that that is an indicative date and that no decision will be made in reality until much closer to the time.
“Three quarters of countries in Europe have rising numbers of coronavirus this week.This pandemic has not gone away and I do not want to see people coming back into Wales from other parts of the globe bringing the virus with them.
“There are absolutely no flights out of or into Cardiff until the 17th of May at the earliest. I think we should be very cautious about doing it even then.”
July 31
- All adults who want a jab will be vaccinated
Health Minister Vaughan Gething has said that every adult in Wales who wants and is eligible for the coronavirus vaccine will receive a jab by July 31. Provided that the supply promised by the UK Government was fulfilled.
Autumn and Winter
Mark Drakeford has stated that social distancing and mask wearing are likely for the rest of the year.
“Even if we get the best vaccination uptake we will still have some people who will choose not to be vaccinated.”
“We will still have people who will not be able to be vaccinated because of underlying health conditions and some people will be vaccinated but it won’t be working for them because the vaccine is not 100% successful for everybody.
“There is going to be a significant proportion of the population where vaccination is not going to be the complete answer. You still have several unknowns regarding the Kent variant and other variants across the world.
“I think we are going to have to go on with living at some level of observation of the virus whether that is just social distancing and mask wearing in crowded places. The virus has a long goodbye and it’s not going to be gone completely this calendar year.”