Covid: Pubs and restaurants to reopen outdoors in Wales

Pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales can reopen to customers outdoors from Monday.

Up to six people from six households will be able to meet, with social distancing and hygiene measures in place.

Outdoor attractions, such as zoos and theme parks, can also reopen under the latest easing of lockdown.

Wedding receptions and funerals can again be held outdoors at regulated premises with up to 30 people.

Organised outdoor activities, such as sport activities limited to 30 people, are also able to resume.

Hospitality is set to reopen indoors from 17 May, along with increased limits on those who can attend organised events, but this depends on case rates and the make-up of the Welsh government after the election on 6 May.

Wales' rolling seven-day case rate is now 13.6 per 100,000 people and more than a fifth of people in Wales have now had a full Covid vaccine.

Volunteers and those who are unable to work from home can also order a lateral flow self-test kit to be delivered to their home from Monday.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said because "meeting outdoors continues to be lower risk than meeting indoors" the lockdown easing was able to go ahead.

The Welsh Conservatives said it was a "welcome but long overdue" reopening for these sectors.

Plaid Cymru said it was thanks to "the collective effort of the people of Wales" that the changes could happen.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats described it as a "cautious but welcome" first step to reopening.

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Nick Saunders, director of a entertainment and food venue in Cardiff, said he was "delighted to be back open" after being shut for the past five months.

The 29-year-old said it was "crucial" to get more than 60 members of staff who have been on furlough back to work.

He also said suppliers such as stage, sounds and lighting staff, and security teams had been affected by the lockdown.

From Monday, the venue will be operating 40 tables offering street food, with table service carried out via an app.

However, Mr Saunders said he was "still limited" by the entertainment he could offer, saying "there's no real entertainment we can do apart from background music".

"We'd be delighted to get back to and entertain people in the way that we have done previously, putting live gigs on, putting shows on... it means the world to us to get back open and be able to socialise in that format," he said.

Meanwhile, Elen Morris there is "a lot to do" to prepare for reopening her pub in Bala, Gwynedd.

"Getting the tables in, making sure they're spaced enough, making sure we've got screens up, just tidying up - five months of being shut is a long time," she said.

Ms Morris said opening outdoors would not be "financially viable" because there would be "triple the staff, and a quarter of the capacity".

She added that Bala was a "small and strong community" where pub customers would be there "day in, day out".

"People used to go out and have a pint on their own and talk to bar staff until somebody else came in - and by the end of the night they would know who is who in the pub and all get along," she said.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring county Conwy, Nick Jackson's zoo is also preparing to open its doors again to visitors.

He said he was "over the moon" to reopen and staff have been working "frantically".

"We're so pleased to be opening and getting income back, but it still hangs over our heads the worry as to what the future holds."

He said the zoo's closure to the public - including being shut for two Easter periods - has been "very difficult, in a direct practical way because of the loss of income".

"Although we're back on Monday we're not back to the level of normality we would like to see."

The zoo will have a visitor number cap of 1,500 people who can enter per day.

Mr Jackson said the site would only be able to reopen its outdoor areas, while its cafe is just operating for takeaways.

However, he said he thought that many of the zoo's animals - including primates and monkeys - would "enjoy the company of the visitors coming in" because they find them entertaining and amusing.

The lockdown changes also mean adults will also be able to return to outdoor activity centres.

Alison Yates, operations and programme manager at a centre in Caernarfon, said the team was pleased visitors "will now be able to experience the huge benefits that come from being out on the water, especially after a period which has been tough for many reasons, including on mental health".

The attraction - which offers outdoor activities and watersports courses - initially reopened on 2 April for under-18s living in Wales, but from Monday it is able to welcome all visitors from across the UK.

However, Bre Carrington-Sykes said despite restrictions easing to allow 30 at outdoor weddings, many of the bookings at her wedding venue still cannot go ahead.

The venue in Llandyrnog, Denbighshire, typically accommodates up to 150 people for a wedding booking.

She said so far she just has two weddings able to go ahead in June, but there are at least 70 weddings still waiting to happen because couples want more than 30 people present.

"Until we open up properly, many of our weddings can't go ahead.

"On a wedding day, we could have roughly 40 staff - including caterers, florists - working here.

"Usually we'd have a wedding every weekend from the March to the end of October. Last year we had 43 weddings booked.

"We're maintaining the place and desperate to get open, refurbishing different pieces, but an outdoor wedding even for 30 people - you can't guarantee the weather," she said.

The Welsh government said it had provided the "most generous offer of help anywhere in the UK" with a package of financial assistance for firms worth more than £2bn.

A spokeswoman said it was looking to run a number of pilot events in May and June, connected to the test events programme happening in England.

"We will assess these results and will work closely with the events sector with the aim of restoring activities safely and successfully in Wales as soon as we're able to do so," she said.

Mr Drakeford, the Welsh Labour leader, said the reopening of hospitality outdoors would provide more opportunities for people to meet and have a "significant positive impact on people's well-being".

A Welsh Conservative spokesman said the reopening of sectors such as outdoor hospitality was "welcome but long overdue, particularly when clarity could've been afforded to these businesses some time ago".

"Regrettably, Labour ministers have chosen to play politics at the expense of people's businesses and livelihoods, and that's why the Welsh Conservatives pledge to cut the confusion and end the political games in Cardiff Bay after May's Senedd election."

Adam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, said it was "thanks to the collective effort of the people of Wales" and NHS staff that rules could be eased.

"Like people all over Wales, I can't wait to support local businesses by enjoying a socially distanced drink after a long day campaigning for Plaid Cymru."

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds said the reopening was a "cautious but welcome" first step to the recovery of the hospitality sector, which it "desperately needs".

"For many firms, takings will be significantly down as they can only operate at a reduced capacity and it's important that financial assistance from the government continues," she said.