All non-essential shops to re-open in Wales from Monday as lockdown eased further

Following weeks will see return to schools and end of five-mile rule, says First Minister

All non-essential shops in Wales will be able to re-open from 22 June, as part of a gradual relaxation of lockdown which will see further easing of restrictions every Monday for the next three weeks.

The return of non-essential retail, which comes a week after similar measures in England, was announced by First Minister Mark Drakeford and is conditional on stores being made Covid-secure.

Pupils will return to Welsh schools on 29 June and the requirement to remain within five miles of your home will be lifted if conditions allow on 6 July.

Mr Drakeford also put the Welsh tourism industry on alert to start preparations to reopen if the spread of the virus continues to decline - but put no date on any relaxation of restrictions on visitors.

“The threat of coronavirus hasn’t gone away but thanks to the efforts we have all made over the last few months, the number of people contracting coronavirus each day in Wales is falling, so too is the risk of meeting somebody with the virus,” said Mr Drakeford.

“Given the progress we have made, we are able to take some additional cautious steps to further unlock our society and economy.

“This includes more retailers being able re-open their businesses, as long as they take measures to minimise the risk to their staff and to the customers who visit their stores.

“Our focus continues to be on the health risks of the outbreak, but we can now begin to cautiously focus much more squarely on the wider economic and societal impact the virus is having.

“We have provided a huge amount of support to businesses and jobs as they hibernated during the pandemic – now we start to take these careful steps to restart our economy.”