First Minister Mark Drakeford is set to confirm today that Wales will move into alert level two restrictions from Monday, as cases of COVID-19 continue to fall in the country.
Alert level 2 will see the re-opening of indoor hospitality, accommodation, most indoor entertainment and a variety of other venues.
In his first Coronavirus press conference since the Senedd election, Mr Drakeford will also announce that rules will be changed from Monday to allow more international travel to take place – though he is expected to emphasise that Welsh Government advice remains that people should only travel abroad if necessary for essential purposes.
International travel rules for Wales are set to be aligned with a traffic light system being used in England and Scotland.
Some lockdown easements have been delayed due to concerns over the Indian variant of coronavirus. People in Wales will still not be allowed to meet anyone in a private home unless they live with them or are in their extended household.
Discussing the easing of restrictions, the First Minister said;
“By sticking with the rules and our successful vaccine programme, we are making really good progress in controlling the virus and keeping rates low.
“But the pandemic isn’t over – the new, so-called Indian variant of concern is another unwanted twist in this pandemic, which we are monitoring closely.”
Lockdown measures are also set to ease further in England and Scotland from Monday, though some concerns are being raised over the coronavirus variant first identified in India. A growing number of cases of the variant are being identified in the UK, and some fear the relaxation of travel restrictions could lead to further spikes in virus cases.
In Wales, cases of COVID-19 remain very low, with the latest 7-day case rate at just 8.91 cases per 100,000 people.
