Wales lockdown: What rules have changed and what does ‘stay local’ mean?

Coronavirus restrictions to be eased in the country from Saturday

Lockdown restrictions in Wales are to ease from Saturday, with outdoor sports and meeting up with friends in a garden to become legal again.

Up to four people – not counting children – will be allowed to socialise outdoors, including in private gardens. Outdoor facilities for sports such as golf, tennis and basketball will be allowed to open and single designated visitors can enter care homes.

More details on the were due to be outlined at a government press conference on Friday.

First minister Mark Drakeford has also revised guidance from “stay at home” to “stay local”. Official guidelines have previously suggested that the definition of “local” varies across Wales.

“As a general rule, we consider anything within about five miles of your home to be local,” government guidance, published in May 2020, states. “If you live in a rural area, you will probably be used to defining your local area a little more widely.”

This is because “amenities and public services considered essential for everyday purposes” such as shops, banks and pharmacies are “spread over a wider geographical area” for some people, it states.

Currently, stay-at-home orders in Wales mean people should only leave the house for essential reasons such as going to work or exercising.

But more changes are expected in coming days. From Monday, all primary school children and those studying for certain qualifications will return to school. Hairdressers and barbers will reopen for appointments only.

Garden centres and some non-essential shops are expected to open on 22 March, while on 27 March self-contained accommodation may be allowed to open, depending on infection rates.

On 12 April, all shops are expected to open – the same date as in England – and all pupils return to school.

Unlike the rest of the UK, the Welsh government has not published a roadmap out of lockdown, instead setting out a rough timeline of events leading up to Easter.

Mr Drakeford has said that restrictions in Wales would be “broadly aligned across the whole of the UK,” but hinted that some sectors such as retail will be allowed to open earlier than in England.

The Welsh government is to review restrictions on a three-week basis.