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Drakeford to set out timeline on stay local rule, re-opening non-essential retail and tourism

07 Mar 2021 2 minute read
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford. Picture by the Welsh Government

The First Minister Mark Drakeford has said that he hopes to be able to lay out a plan for re-opening non-essential retail and self-contained accommodation during Friday’s lockdown review.

Speaking to Sunday Supplement on Radio Wales he also suggested that the guidance on travel would also change to ‘stay local’.

“We’ll look to see whether we can take the first tentative steps in re-opening the economy in non-essential retail,” he said.

“And I do hope to be able to say something for thee weeks beyond the next three weeks. And that will indeed look to Easter and see whether there is any emerging headroom for us to do what we would like to do, but will only do if it is safe, and that is to offer the prospect of reopening self-contained accommodation.

“In the tourism industry, recognising the significance of Easter, to that industry.”

He also added that he thought there was a middle step between advising people to stay at home and allowing them to travel freely.

“I said at the last review three weeks ago that I hoped this would be the last three weeks of the stay at home regulations,” he said. “So that is what we will be trying to make happen on Friday of this week.

“I think there is a case for an intermediate step between ‘stay’ at home’ and being able to travel anywhere across Wales.

“And we will be looking carefully this week at whether an intermediate period of stay local – people are used to that, we’ve had a period of that last year – if that would be the first step on a journey.”


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