The First Minister of Wales, Mark Drakeford has set out a phased timetable to ease restrictions for Wales? hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors, following a 21-day review of the coronavirus regulations
According to the new directive, these businesses can resume services from July 27, with with health and safety measures in place.
While some holiday accommodation businesses will reopen tomorrow, properties with shared facilities, such as camping sites, will reopen from July 25. Other indoor hospitality sectors are tentatively scheduled to reopen from August 3.
On Monday, July 13, hairdressing salons, barbershops and mobile hairdressers, as well as pubs, bars, restaurants, outdoor cafes and outdoor cinemas will reopen. The beauty sector and other close-contact services, including nail and beauty salons, tanning services, massages, body piercings, tattooing, electrolysis or acupuncture, have been directed to start preparing for a reopening from July 27, if the conditions remain favourable. Indoor cinemas, museums, galleries and archive services are expected to reopen around the same time. A small number of underground visitor attractions will remain closed for the time being, because of the higher risks associated with these environments. The Welsh Government will continue to work with these attractions towards safe re-opening. Faith leaders have been asked to resume services at places of worship when they are ready.
The Welsh Government is making changes to the regulations of allowing larger gatherings of up to 30 people outdoors, only when they are organised and supervised by a responsible person for sports and other leisure activities and classes. The final decision about reopening all sectors will depend on conditions and feedback from the initial opening of the tourism industry, indoor attractions and hairdressing sector.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said: ?Together we are making good progress to tackle the spread of this virus. Thanks to the efforts we have made together, we are now able to lift the restrictions and reopen more parts of our society and economy. However, the threat from coronavirus has not gone away and only when all of us act responsibly, will we be able to keep Wales safe. This means maintaining social distancing, thinking carefully about the place we are visiting and discriminate about places to visit.?
With coronavirus cases on a decline in Wales, people are still being asked to main social distancing and maintain good hand hygiene, to maintain safety the disease has not gone away and everyone has a responsibility to maintain social distancing, good hand hygiene and to respect the places and communities they visit. The Welsh Government will also make changes to the physical distancing regulations to reflect the challenges faced by the hospitality, beauty industry and other sectors, where a distance of two metres cannot be reasonably maintained at all times. The law in Wales will continue to make the two-metre distance the default measure, because it remains the safest way to protect people?s health. When it cannot be maintained, businesses will need some additional measures to minimise the risk of the virus spreading; this includes taking steps to minimise face-to-face contact and personal hygiene.
The next formal review of the regulations will take place on July 30, with a detailed discussion about how indoor hospitality will operate in a coronavirus-safe method. The Welsh Government is in talks with local authorities how gyms, leisure centres, fitness studios and swimming pools can be reopened safely.
