Non-essential shops will have to wait until April to reopen but hairdressers and barbers can re-start trading on Monday.
Business Live revealed yesterday that Welsh Government was going for a staggered approach to reopening retail.
It has now been confirmed First Minister Mark Drakeford will lift the “stay at home” requirement in Wales from tomorrow, and replace it with “stay local”.
READ MORE: {}
From tomorrow, four people from two households will be able to meet outdoors to socialise, including in gardens.
Full updates and reaction on the today announcements on our live blog here
- In addition, outdoor sports facilities, including basketball courts, tennis courts and golf courses, can reopen, and indoor care home visits will restart, for single designated visitors.
- Hairdressers and barbers will re-open for appointments from Monday.
- From March 22 restrictions will be lifted on what can be sold in shops which are currently open - ending the controversial non-essential sales ban. Garden centres will also be able to open.
- All shops, including all close contact services, will be able to open from 12 April – the same date as in England.
This final date will be a major disappointment to the retail sector who had hoped they could open in the coming days.
Get your BusinessLive news direct and all in one place
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute.
The First Minister will also announce an additional £150m to support businesses affected by ongoing restrictions with grants of up to £5,000 for rates paying firms.
The First Minister will say: “We are taking a phased approach to unlocking each sector – starting with schools. We will make step-by-step changes each week to gradually restore freedoms. We will monitor each change we make, so we know what impact each change has had on Wales’ public health situation.”
Most Read
Sara Jones, Head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, said: “Retailers will welcome news of a firm date for the re-opening of so called non-essential stores, albeit a lot later than anticipated. That’s hugely helpful and gives retailers, their staff and suppliers something to work towards. It’s also good news for shoppers.
“However, given that the First Minister himself had previously committed to allowing some shops to re-open next week it is frustrating and disappointing that it appears we may now be told we are a month away from stores being permitted to re-open.
"This apparent reversal has significant implications for a number of retailers, both in terms of the investments they have made in preparing to re-open next week and the huge loss of potential sales and trading over the crucial Easter trading period.
"Welsh retailers, already under immense pressure, will now creak under even greater strain.
“Should the First Minister indeed delay their re-opening when making his statement today we remain perplexed as to why shops, where customers are transient and are not spending dwell time, are unable to re-open when close contact services will be permitted to re-open. We also ask why, when incidence is so low, that non-essential retail must remain shut.
"Our industry is committed to the safety of our staff, customers, and the public at large and retailers have led the way and invested hundreds of millions of pounds on safety measures to ensure stores are Covid-secure. We continue to seek the public health evidence which suggests shops should remain shut."