Wales announcement today: Mark Drakeford to give lockdown roadmap update

‘Real team effort across Wales’ has enabled rules to be further relaxed, first minister says

Mark Drakeford will give an update on plans to further ease Covid-19 restrictions when he addresses Wales at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The first minister is to outline a series of measures aimed at lifting lockdown in Wales as coronavirus cases "remain stable, and the vaccination programme continues apace.”

Wales is currently in Alert Level 4 restrictions, meaning gyms and leisure centres are closed while large outdoor gatherings are banned.

The measures being set out by Mr Drakeford on Thursday will take Wales fully into Alert Level 3 restrictions by 17 May - if infection rates continue to remain stable.

The first minister will speak at 12:15 pm and his address is being broadcast on the Welsh government's social media channels.

Below is a list of key dates for the further easing of lockdown restrictions in Wales.

Read more:

• Wales to reopen gyms and leisure centres from early May as cases ‘generally falling’
• What Wales’s route out of restrictions?
• Wales lockdown: Ban on non-essential sales in supermarkets lifted

From 12 April

• The full return of children to schools for face-to-face learning, all post-16 learners will return to further education and training centres, and university campus’ will be able to open for blended face-to-face/online learning for all students
• All remaining shops can reopen, completing the phased reopening of non-essential retail
• All remaining close contact services can open, including mobile services
• Travel restrictions on travelling into and out of Wales will be lifted. However, restrictions on travel to countries outside the Common Travel Area without a reasonable excuse, remain in place.
• Viewings at wedding venues can resume by appointment
• Outdoor canvassing for elections can begin

From 26 April

• Outdoor attractions, including funfairs and theme parks, would be allowed to reopen
• Outdoor hospitality can resume, including at cafes, pubs and restaurants. Indoor hospitality will remain restricted.

From 3 May

• Organised outdoor activities for up to 30 people can again take place
• Weddings receptions can take place outdoors, but will also be limited to 30 people

From 10 May

• Gyms, leisure centres and fitness facilities can reopen. This will include individual or one-to-one training but not exercise classes
• Extended household will again allow two households to meet and have contact indoors
• Wales will then review its roadmap out of lockdown on 13 May, with the government hoping to lift most remaining restrictions by 17 May.

“A real team effort across Wales”

In a statement released on Wednesday, the first minister said it was down to "a real team effort across Wales" that regulations are being loosened.

He added: "The sacrifices we have all made are having a positive effect in the battle against Covid. This last year has been incredibly difficult for all of us and again I want to thank everyone for their efforts."

Mr Drakeford said Wales's lockdown easing gave "reasons for optimism", but warned: "We can’t let our guard down yet. We all still need to be vigilant, we still need to do our part to keep this deadly disease at bay."

The Welsh government currently has no plans to change its guidance on international travel, and Mr Drakeford in an interview with Good Morning Britain on Thursday questioned prime minister Boris Johnson's blueprint for reopening England's border on 17 May.

The first minister said the 17 May date was "over-optimistic" and called on Mr Johnson to delay it, as some countries in Europe - such as France and Germany - face a third wave of the virus and are struggling to vaccinate their citizens.

"The English roadmap has international travel resuming on 17 May and I've long argued that is over-optimistic, that it doesn't reflect the risk of reimporting coronavirus from other parts of the world and putting new variants in circulation," he said.

"The reports I heard earlier in France just show how close some of these risks are currently being experienced. When the prime minister speaks next week, I hope that he says that that date will have to be pushed back, further into the future."

Boris Johnson will give an update on England's roadmap out of lockdown next week, where he is expected to confirm that a further loosening of restrictions can take place from 12 April.

The prime minister has previously said England's reopening will depend on "data, not dates", adding there has been nothing in the figures so far to suggest the country’s roadmap will be derailed.

As of 1 April, 30,905,538 people in the UK had received a first dose of a Covid vaccine while 4,108,536 had got a second, according to official figures.

Some 4,052 new cases were recorded on Wednesday, up 12 from Tuesday. In the past seven days, the UK has recorded a total of 33,907 new cases, down 4,423 on the previous week. 43 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test were logged on Wednesday, down 13 on the previous day.

In the past seven days, the UK has recorded a total 332 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, down 220 on the previous week.

From 12 April all shops, hairdressers and beauty salons in England can reopen. Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to serve customers eating outside, while gyms can reopen, members of the same household can take a holiday in England and weddings of up to 15 people can take place.