Current Lockdown Rules in Cardiff
After the UK government`s press briefing, the Prime Minister said that at a COBR meeting, each of the four countries had agreed to continue the current measures to stay at home for another three weeks. The Welsh Government has issued a statement to review the rules underlying these restrictions. The Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams, has published a framework setting out the principles and current thinking for the next phase of education and childcare in Wales. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announces the planned exit from lockdown for Scotland, with all primary and some secondary school pupils returning to school from 15 March 2021 and four people from two households being allowed to meet outside from the same date. In a statement, the Minister for Health gave a press briefing on Wales` response to the current challenges in coronavirus testing. Restrictions are also being tightened across the UK, with Christmas rules now only applying for one day for households mingling. See the announcements of the British Prime Minister for England and the Scottish First Minister, as well as more information on restrictions in Northern Ireland. You can, and international travel is allowed, although local rules and quarantine apply. Health Minister Vaughan Gething announces the launch of an expanded Covid-19 testing program for nursing homes, which, in addition to the weekly PCR test currently performed, also includes the biweekly examination of asymptomatic nursing home staff with lateral flow rapid testing equipment. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that everyone in England will have to stay at home during a new coronavirus lockdown that is expected to last until mid-February 2021, except for legitimate reasons. All schools and colleges will be closed to most students and will switch to distance learning from 5 January 2021. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is urging mainland Scotland to stay home as part of a new lockdown where schools will remain closed to students until February 2021.
An updated vaccination strategy for Wales has been published. These include updated targets to deliver the vaccine to all current priority groups by mid-April 2021 and to the entire adult population by the end of July 2021. Starting Saturday, April 24, six people will be able to meet outside. A change from the current rule, according to which six people from two households can meet outside. The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) (Wales) Regulations 2020 come into force: residents and visitors entering the country from abroad must self-isolate for 14 days to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. This reflects a common position in the four British countries. There are a number of exceptions to the new border rules. The Committee on Health, Social Affairs and Sport is investigating the Welsh Government`s response to the coronavirus. The health minister is answering questions about personal protective equipment (PPE), testing and an “exit strategy” to lift current coronavirus restrictions.
The next revision of the coronavirus restrictions is scheduled for 13 May 2021 and will therefore be carried out by the new Welsh Government following the Senedd elections on 6 May 2021. The current Welsh government had previously indicated that Wales would be released on 17 September. May 2021 could move to alert level 2. Following a meeting with the UK and devolved governments over concerns about a new strain of the coronavirus, the Prime Minister announces that restrictions will be brought forward to Alert Level 4 and will come into effect across Wales from midnight. The rules that allowed two households to form a Christmas bubble over a five-day period now only apply on Christmas Day. Detailed guidance on alert 4 restrictions in Wales has been published. The British Prime Minister makes a statement in the House of Commons outlining a roadmap to ease lockdown restrictions in England. The roadmap is divided into four stages, with at least five weeks between each stage. The first stage, which includes a return to school/training for all children in England, starts on 8 March 2021. The fourth stage will start on 21 June 2021 at the earliest, and all restrictions will be lifted. The First Minister of Wales announces a 17-day lockdown of “circuit break” from Friday 23 October at 6pm until the beginning of Monday 9 November 2020.
People must stay at home, except for very limited purposes, and are not allowed to visit or meet people they do not live with. Some shops and venues, including bars, restaurants and most shops, will be closed. Primary schools and childcare facilities remain open; Secondary schools will only be open to children in grades 7 and 8 and will offer online learning for the remaining years in the week following the semester. Universities will remain open and continue to offer a mix of face-to-face and online learning. After the end of the circuit break, the Welsh Government said a new set of national rules would be introduced. The current government has not learned the lessons of the Covid pandemic: the new government must take steps to ensure that the UK is better prepared next time. Beauty salons, cinemas and museums can reopen in Wales from today. House visits can also take place in uninhabited properties. New rules requiring the wearing of a face covering on public transport, including taxis, come into force.
As of March 22, 2021, restrictions on the sale of non-essential items for stores currently open will be lifted. Garden centres will also be reopened. Following the recent review of coronavirus restrictions in Wales, the Prime Minister is proposing plans to further ease lockdown restrictions. The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Wales) Regulations 2020 have been repealed and replaced by the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2020. From 11 July 2020, self-contained holiday homes will be able to reopen without shared facilities. As of July 13, 2020, a number of services and businesses can reopen if they can safely do so, including hairdressers, outdoor pubs and restaurants, open-air cinemas, most indoor tourist attractions, and places of worship. The Prime Minister also announced the lifting of restrictions in other areas in July, including those related to outdoor playgrounds and gyms (from 20 July 2020), other accommodation establishments (from 25 July 2020), “close contacts” such as beauty salons, indoor cinemas and museums, and the full reopening of the housing market (from 27 July 2020).
Letters from the Chief Medical Officer of Wales to those who are extremely vulnerable and who have already been protected are being issued. There is no need to restart the armor, but the letter includes the latest advice to people on how to be very careful and protect themselves at best. Prime Minister Mark Drakeford announces that restrictions on home stay in Wales will continue for another three weeks. Children aged three to seven and those with priority vocational qualifications will start a gradual return to school from 22 February 2021. Some minor changes to the current rules will also be announced: from 20 February 2021, four people from two different households will be able to meet outside for socially distant local travel (not in private gardens); from 1. In March 2021, licensed wedding venues can be reopened, but only to perform wedding and civil partnership ceremonies; Arrangements are being made to allow more top athletes to train and play again, and with the increase in vaccinations, the Welsh Government will review the guidelines for visits to nursing homes. The Prime Minister says that if the situation continues to improve over the next three weeks, it may be possible for more primary school children and older students to return to school from 15 March 2021. The Welsh Government is releasing an update to its coronavirus plan: Alert Levels in Wales, published in December 2020.
The update – Coronavirus Control Plan: Warning Levels in Wales (post-lockdown) – lays out the Welsh Government`s current understanding of the impact of new variants, existing systems to address current challenges and its approach to overcoming the lockdown. Following the recent revision of coronavirus restrictions, the Welsh Government is presenting its plans to further ease lockdown restrictions in Wales over the next three weeks. From 3 August, pubs and restaurants will be able to reopen indoors, as will bowling alleys, bingo halls and auction houses. Starting August 3, restrictions on outdoor gatherings will also be eased, allowing up to 30 people to gather outdoors, provided social distancing is respected. From 10 August, swimming pools, spas, gyms, leisure centres and indoor children`s playgrounds will be able to reopen, subject to conditions. The Welsh government says it is looking into whether changes can be made to the rules for people meeting indoors from 17 August. The rules state that everyone must work from home “where reasonably possible,” including volunteering or charity. Prime Minister Mark Drakeford announces that following a formal review of the fourth alert level lockdown restrictions, which were introduced at midnight on 19 December 2020, all measures will remain in place.
The Welsh Government is also looking at whether large supermarkets and retailers need to take extra measures to protect people in the store, and what else employers need to do to protect people in the workplace and help people work from home.
