‘Coronavirus hasn’t gone away’ warns Drakeford as he drops ‘stay local’ rule

Coronavirus hasn’t gone away and people should continue to be cautious as the ‘stay local’ rule is lifted on Monday, the First Minister said today.

Mark Drakeford confirmed the conditions in Wales allow the requirement to stay local to be removed but reminding everyone about the importance of social distancing, good hand hygiene and the need to respect the places and communities they visit.

This includes checking local information about the place they want to visit, going somewhere else if a place is already busy or car parks are full, making sure litter is not left behind, and showing respect for local residents, he said.

Changes are also being made to the coronavirus regulations to allow families to be reunited from Monday as the concept of extended households is introduced. This will enable people in two separate households to join together to form one exclusive extended household.

“The number of coronavirus cases is declining, thanks to the efforts we have all taken together to reduce the spread of the virus,” the First Minister said. “This means we can continue to make changes to the coronavirus regulations.

“From Monday, we will lift the requirement to stay local and introduce new changes to the rules to enable people from two separate households to join together to form one extended household.

“These changes will be welcomed by many as they represent a further easing of the lockdown – but this doesn’t mean that coronavirus has gone away. We all still have a responsibility to keep on doing all the things, which make a real difference to the spread of the virus.

“This means maintaining social distancing, thinking carefully about where we go and why, so together we continue to do all that we can to help to keep Wales safe.”

‘No limitation’

Under the new arrangements, from Monday 6 July:

• The legal requirement to stay local (and the associated guidance about the five-mile rule of thumb) no longer applies.
• There will be no limitation on travel but holiday accommodation in Wales will not be allowed to be open – self-contained accommodation is preparing to re-open from 11 July.
• People from two separate households will be able to join together to form one exclusive, extended household. But they can only be part of one extended household. Everyone joining the extended household must belong to the two households, which form the extended household.
• The extended household must contain the same individuals for the foreseeable future. If one member of an extended household develops symptoms of coronavirus, the entire extended household should self-isolate, not just those living together.
• The government advises those in an extended household to keep records to help with contact tracing in case someone in the extended households tests positive for coronavirus.

At the next review on 9 July, the Welsh Government will consider a range of specific options for re-opening the hospitality sector (bars and restaurants) outdoors from 13 July, self-contained holiday accommodation from 11 July and hairdressing by appointment.