THE First Minister, Mark Drakeford has said the five-mile travel limit may remain in place all summer.
Speaking at the Welsh Government’s coronavirus briefing earlier today (June 9), Mr Drakeford said easing travel restrictions was “not on my list of things to change”.
The current five mile travel guideline in Wales was part of the first stage of the lockdown lifdown, the three-week review period end’s on June 18.
This means the current travel guideline is likely to stay in force until July 10 at the earliest.
“We have no immediate plans to lift the stay-local message in Wales,” said Mr Drakeford.
Adding that it is still likely to remain in place if and when parts of Wales’ tourism industry reopens.
The possibility of holiday cottages and self-catered flats to reopen for business later this summer has been discussed, but the Hotel and B&B rooms situation would be more difficult.
Mr Drakeford said: “It’s a difficult tightrope to walk because we want to lift lockdown measures further but we don’t want people to run away with the idea that coronavirus is over.
“Even if we are down to 50 new cases every day, we have no idea who those 50 people might be, because coronavirus is a silent spreader. So it’s still very important to carry on with social distancing and with staying local.”
The five-mile guideline will still remain crucial for self catered accommodation. Guests would still have to limit their travel to the guideline and refrain from meeting lots of people.
He added “There is, in a public health sense, I think, a distinction to be drawn between people who have their own kitchen, their own bathroom.
“That will be different, I think, to someone travelling to stay somewhere where they are sharing kitchens, sharing showers, sharing toilets, where inevitably the level of risk would be great.”
Guests would not be “meeting lots of different people,”
Speaking about when the Welsh tourism industry might be likely to re-open, Mr Drakeford said there would need to be “community consent” and recognised the varying factors across Wales, especially in North West and South West Wales where there have been very low levels of the virus confirmed.
There are no plans in Wales for the re-opening of restaurants and pubs, which have been discussed in England.
Sports fixtures, mass gatherings and concerts are expected not to resume until 2021.
The next lockdown announcement is expected to take place on June 19.
