Wales set to drop almost all remaining Covid restrictions from tomorrow

06-Aug-2021 - Last updated on 06-Aug-2021 at 10:13 GMT

Face masks will no longer be required in hospitality settings once Wales moves to the new Alert Level Zero tomorrow (7 August) and almost all remaining Covid restrictions are dropped.

First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed the decision yesterday (5 August), which will see all legal limits on the number of people who can meet both indoors and outdoors removed from 6am on Saturday when the easing comes into effect.

Night-time economy businesses, such as nightclubs, will finally be able to reopen after nearly 17 months of closure; and face coverings will not be a legal requirement in hospitality settings where food and drink is served.

They will, however, continue to be mandatory in most other indoor settings.

Also on 7 August, adults who are fully vaccinated and children and young people under 18, will no longer need to isolate if they are identified as close contacts of someone who has Coronavirus.

Despite the removal of most measures, Drakeford stressed that the change should not lead to a 'free-for-all' as baseline measures will remain to reduce the risk of the virus spreading.

He said: “Moving to Alert Level Zero is another significant step forward for us all.

"For the first time since the pandemic started, all businesses will be able to open and all legal limits on meeting people in indoor private spaces will be removed.

“Alert Level Zero does not mean the end of restrictions and a free-for-all. But it does mean we can all enjoy more freedoms with the confidence there are still important protections in place to make sure our public health is being safeguarded while we are out and about."

The Welsh Beer & Pub Association (WBPA) welcomed the news, saying the lifting of restrictions should enable more than 150 more pubs in Wales that have remained shut to date because they cannot viably operate under current restrictions to reopen.

“After nearly 17 months of closure or operating under major restrictions, this is the good news our brewers and pubs in Wales have been waiting for," says Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the WBPA.

“It means our beloved locals across Wales can now properly reopen and operate as they are meant to do so. A pint on Saturday is going to taste all the sweeter."

On Monday (9 August), Scotland will join Wales in lifting almost all remaining Covid rules.