Covid: Pubs in Wales to close at 10pm from Thursday - BBC News

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Pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales will have to shut at 10pm every night under new measures to control the rising rate of coronavirus.

The rules, to come into force on Thursday, follow a decision by the UK government to do the same in England.

In a broadcast address, First Minister Mark Drakeford called for people to avoid unnecessary travel.

Sales of alcohol from off-licences and supermarkets after 10pm will also be stopped.

Hospitality businesses will be required to provide table service only.

In the recorded statement, Mr Drakeford said there was a very real possibility that Wales could see the virus "regain a foothold in our local communities, towns and cities".

"This is a highly infectious virus, we cannot let it take a hold of our lives again. We have come too far to let that happen," he said.

• 'Closing pubs at 10pm halves your takings'

His statement came as the Prime Minister called on the public to summon "discipline and the resolve" to follow new rules.

Each nation of the UK is tightening restrictions, after a meeting between leaders including Mr Johnson and Mr Drakeford on Tuesday morning.

The changes are in addition to the local lockdown restrictions now in force in six areas of Wales, meaning people cannot travel in or out of them without a good excuse such as work or education.

Pubs there already have to shut at 11pm, meaning closing times in the six areas will move an hour earlier.

Public Health Wales figures reported 281 further cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, the highest number of cases since April.

Rising Covid-19 case rates in south and west Wales

Seven-day positive tests per 100,000 population

Mr Drakeford said a £500 payment would be provided - as the UK government has planned for England - for those on low incomes to help them if they need to self-isolate.

The Welsh Government says it will strengthen regulations to ensure employers support those who need to quarantine themselves.

Some of the actions taken elsewhere are already in place in Wales, he said. "We need to go on working from home wherever possible."

He reminded viewers that only six people could meet indoors from a single extended household - which can be made up of four different households.

Mr Drakeford asked people to "think carefully about making journeys."

"The fewer people we meet and the fewer journeys we make, the safer we all are," he said.

These new measures don't change the Wales-wide picture enormously but they do add to the mosaic building up around the country.

There are still much tighter restrictions in local lockdown areas so there's increasing complexity in the rules - and a bigger challenge for politicians and public health officials in communicating which rules apply where.

And while these rules may be important in tackling the threat of Covid, getting a testing system that can cope with demand and deliver results in a timely and efficient way is also vital.

In the Commons Boris Johnson, who is responsible for coronavirus rules in England, said restrictions could last six months.

The Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board, covering Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf, has warned it is a "matter of weeks" before a sharp rise in hospital admissions in the area.

'Contempt'

The tightening of restrictions comes amid a row with opposition politicians over whether the announcement should have been made in the Welsh Parliament first.

Presiding officer Elin Jones told the Senedd earlier she had been told final decisions "aren't likely to be made until a little before" 20:00 BST on Tuesday.

After the news of the restrictions broke before the broadcast by Mr Drakeford, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price accused the Welsh Government of treating the Senedd with contempt.

Welsh Conservative Andrew RT Davies said it was disrespectful to Ms Jones, a Plaid Cymru Senedd member who oversees the Welsh Parliament.

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2020-09-22 19:30:00Z
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