First Minister announces Welsh lockdown to continue and sets out back to school plans
The youngest children in Wales could begin returning to school after the February half term, if rates of coronavirus continue to fall, First Minister Mark Drakeford has announced today.
The First Minister confirmed the alert level 4 lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Wales for the next 3 weeks, following a review of the measures and stated details of a £200 million package to top-up support for businesses will be confirmed (see item below).
Rates of coronavirus across Wales have fallen below 200 cases per 100,000 people for the first time since early November. And every day, thousands more people receive their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine – the latest figures show almost 11% of the population have been vaccinated.
Two small changes will be made to the current alert level 4 restrictions:
- A maximum of two people from different households will be able to exercise outdoors together, as long as they maintain social distancing. This must involve exercise starting from and finishing from home – driving for exercise to beauty spots should still not take place.
- If a support bubble arrangement has broken down, a new one can be formed as long as there is gap of 10 days before doing so.
These changes will come into effect on Saturday 30 January 2021.
Read more on Gov.Wales.
Further details on £200m to support Welsh businesses
The Welsh Government has revealed further details of the £200m package of support for non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses that continue to be impacted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest funding is linked to the non-domestic rates system and will operate as a top up to the Restrictions Business Fund which was put in place in early December.
It brings this latest phase of Welsh Government support to £650m and will help businesses with operational costs through to the end of March.
Businesses with a rateable value of £12,000 or under will be eligible to receive a payment of £3,000.
Businesses with a rateable value between £12,001 and £150,000 will be eligible to receive a payment of £5,000.
The Welsh Government is also extending the £5,000 grant through to businesses with a rateable value of up to £500,000.
Supply chain businesses will be able to apply for support if they have had a reduction in turnover of more than 40%.
The combined package provides eligible businesses with an NDR rate of £12,000 or under with a £6,000 grant towards their operating costs, and an eligible business with an NDR rate of between £12,001 and £150,000 with a £10,000 payment.
This does not include, where eligible, businesses who have accessed the ERF Sector Specific Fund which would see a typical hospitality, leisure and tourism business with 10 employees receive up to an additional £15,000 meaning a £25,000 grant in total for the period.
A further £30m is also being made available through the discretionary fund to provide up to £2,000 grants for businesses not on the non-domestic rates system.
Welsh Government support is in addition to that available from the UK Government.
Local authorities, who have been absolutely vital in getting money to businesses quickly, will again be administering and distributing these payments. Businesses that pay non-domestic rates and have already received a payment since the firebreak in October do not need to take action. However, businesses that have not registered with their local authority, should take action now to ensure they receive the financial support they are entitled to.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Welsh Government has ensured that more than £1.7bn of business support has reached the bank accounts of Welsh firms.
This help has been crucial for businesses across Wales throughout the pandemic and has protected tens of thousands of jobs that might otherwise have been lost.
Economy Minister Ken Skates said:
“The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a severe impact on our economy and our businesses, particularly those in the leisure, tourism, hospitality and retail sectors.
“The additional £200m we are making available will provide reassurance to firms across Wales and help them with their operating costs through to the end of March.
“Our support is in addition to that available from the UK Government, including the Job Retention Scheme and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme, and I encourage businesses to explore those options as well.
“I am also calling on the UK Government to provide further certainty to businesses and individuals by assuring that support available through interventions such as the Job Retention Scheme will not be withdrawn before the economy is ready.
“Local Authorities have been crucial throughout the pandemic in supporting our efforts by administering and distributing this funding to firms in their area and I would like to once again thank them for their fantastic work and everything they continue to do to help our businesses when they need it most.”
Read in full on Gov.Wales.
Information on support is available on the Business Wales website.
Written Statement: Second Homes in Wales - Julie James MS, Minister for Housing and Local Government
A statement on Second Homes in Wales has been made by Julie James MS, Minister for Housing and Local Government and is available to read on Gov.Wales.
A Litter and Fly-tipping Free Wales - Welsh Government plans
Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths is calling on everyone to “play their part” in eliminating litter and fly-tipping from Wales’ cities, seas and countryside.
The Minister has launched her new plan: ‘A Litter and Fly-tipping Free Wales’, which outlines how the Welsh Government intends to crack down on the issue, while inviting anyone in Wales to submit their own ideas on how to tackle the problem.
Lesley Griffiths, the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, said:
“There are no excuses for littering and fly-tipping. I want to see an end to these antisocial behaviours which are a blight on our streets, beaches and countryside, with the cost of clearing often borne by the public.
“As well as being unsightly and spoiling our enjoyment of our towns and countryside, litter – particularly plastic litter and fly-tipping –impacts our health and well-being, and threatens Wales’ wildlife and habitats alike, risking their loss not just for future generations, but for those alive in Wales today.
“The goals set out within the plan are far-sighted ambitions, and enforcement will play a key role – but enforcement alone isn’t enough to tackle these issues, and we will need everyone to play their part at every level of production, use and disposal to not only reduce litter, but to stop items from becoming litter in the first place.”
Read in full on Gov.Wales.
Useful COVID-19 information
As each premises is different, businesses should read all guidance. This continues to be updated so please check back regularly for the latest information.
Stay up to date with tourism industry news
We are committed to providing the support and assurance the business community needs during these unprecedented difficult times and have issued several Coronavirus (COVID-19) related bulletins which can be found on the Tourism Industry Coronavirus (COVID-19) Bulletins page.
Business Wales is providing businesses with tailored support and advice about dealing with coronavirus, from financial and supply chain planning to advice on staffing issues. We would advise Tourism businesses and stakeholders in Wales wanting specific guidance to visit the Business Wales website or call Business Wales helpline on 03000 6 03000, and to regularly visit the Public Health Wales website for up-to-date public health information for you, your staff and your visitors.
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