First Minister confirms phased move to alert level one
Up to 30 people will be able to meet outdoors and large outdoor activities will be able to take place from Monday, as Wales moves into alert level one, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced today (Friday June 4).
The size of extended households can be increased to up to three households, and a further household with a single adult or single adult with caring responsibilities will also be able to join.
The move to alert level one will be phased, with outdoor events opening first. Ministers will review the public health situation again, ahead of June 21, to determine whether indoor events can restart.
The two-stage approach will enable more people to be vaccinated – and complete their two-dose course – amid growing concerns about the spread of the delta variant of the virus across the UK.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said:
"I want to thank everyone in Wales for everything they have done to control the spread of coronavirus and keep rates low. The emergence of the delta variant shows the pandemic is not over yet and we all need to continue to take steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones.
"The risk of infection is significantly less outdoors than it is indoors. This is why we are phasing in the changes in this three-week cycle. This will allow more people to enjoy events outdoors and take advantage of the Welsh summer, while we continue to roll out the vaccination programme to all adults.
"We will review the public health situation again in a couple of weeks to see whether we can continue to relax the restrictions and restart indoor events."
The seven-day coronavirus case rate remains very low in Wales and the positivity rate is less than 1%. Wales also has the best vaccination rates in the UK – more than 85% of the population has had one dose and 45% have completed the course.
But there is growing concern about the spread of the delta variant in many parts of the UK, especially in the North West of England.
There are currently 97 cases in Wales, including a cluster of cases in Conwy.
The first phase of the move to alert level one means that from Monday June 7:
- Up to 30 people can meet outdoors, including in private gardens, outdoor hospitality and public places.
- Larger outdoor organised gatherings and events, such as concerts, football matches and sporting activities, like organised running groups can go ahead for up to 4,000 people standing and 10,000 people seated. All organisers planning events and activities must undertake a full risk assessment and put in place measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus, including social distancing.
The Welsh Government will consider further changes to the regulations on indoor activity later in the month, if public health conditions allow.
These include:
- Rule of six for meeting indoors in private homes and holiday accommodation.
- Increased numbers for indoor organised gatherings and indoor events.
- Opening ice skating rinks.
Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) Business Support – deadline extended to June 14
In light of the changes being announced today, the application window for the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) has been extended from June 7 until June 14 2021.
To support sectors further impacted by these changes, specifically those wedding, events and attractions venues with capacity for more than 30 guests, the Welsh Government is working with impacted sectors to top up the current ERF package for the May and June period.
If you have already applied you do not need to take further action.
Mitigating Guidance for hospitality businesses in Wales
The Mitigating guidance for hospitality businesses in Wales will be updated shortly to reflect the changes from 7 June 2021 – please continue to visit the UKHospitality Wales Guidance regularly for the latest information.
Alert level 1 (from Monday 7 June)
Information on the measures that apply at level 1 is available on Gov.Wales. Please check back regularly for updates:
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.
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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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