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Outdoor hospitality, gyms, tourism attractions and leisure centres may start to reopen in Wales next month, the Welsh Government has revealed.

The government has now published its updated alert plan after it has come under criticism for not following the alert level criteria in the Coronavirus Control Plan published in December.

They have said that the more transmissible Kent variant and the vaccination programme had changed the situation - bringing both negatives and positives in the fight against coronavirus.

Under the revised plan it has said that an announcement will be made on April 22 on the reopening of outdoor hospitality and tourism attractions, gyms and leisure centres.

The alcohol ban and 10pm curfew will be dropped but indoor hospitality faces a longer wait until it gets a reopening date.

As with the approach on retail this will not mean a sudden reopening of those sectors on April 22.

There will be - if current Covid levels keep falling or remain stable - a phased reopening in the two or three weeks after that date.

This will put Wales into Alert Level 3 by early May although there was no date yet for indoor hospitality which is now in Alert Level 2 of the plan.

While outdoors attractions like zoos, historic properties and gardens can open at Alert Level 3, funfairs and theme parks (outdoors and indoors) will stay closed until Alert Level 2.

Nightclubs remain closed until Alert Level 1 and even then only to initially to trial pilot events.

The plan said: "The much higher transmissibility of the Kent variant makes mixing indoors even more risky. Allowing for indoor mixing will therefore need to wait until rates are very low and vaccines are rolled out to more of the population."

They have though confirmed the 10pm curfew rule will be dropped.

They added: "All premises will be expected to continue to collect contact details, carry out a coronavirus risk assessment, limit numbers indoors, provide table service only, ensure ventilation, ensure adherence to social distancing and other mitigations.

"We will remove the requirement for limited time slots."

They will maintain the alert levels system to respond to the changing public health situation until at least the end of July.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "We are now entering a critical phase in the pandemic. We can see light at the end of the tunnel as we approach the end of a long and hard second wave, thanks to the amazing efforts of scientists and researchers across the world to develop effective vaccines.

"Our amazing vaccination programme has made vaccines available to people in the most at-risk groups at incredible speed.”

Weekly alert level assessment

Welsh Government said: "As part of our refreshed approach, we will publish a weekly alert level assessment summarising this analysis to aid public understanding of the current health context and the most likely direction of travel.

"This will provide advance notice of whether a future de-escalation may be possible if conditions continue to improve and stabilise. It will also enable us to communicate where conditions are deteriorating, and where additional restrictions may be required if conditions do not improve.

"The formal, statutory reviews of the regulations will continue to be held every three weeks."

Approach once at alert level three

The plan states: "Once we reach alert level three, we could be able to move up and down the alert levels in single steps. This will be contingent on the vaccine rollout progressing as we hope and the effectiveness and efficacy of vaccines being high. Our approach will need to continue to be informed by the latest evidence as it emerges.

"We will also continue to monitor local and regional variations. We hope to be able to maintain an all-Wales approach for simplicity and to avoid confusion. But our system will enable us to move up and down alert levels on a local or regional basis if this is the most effective and proportionate approach."What opposition parties say:

Plaid Cymru spokesman on health Rhun ap Iorwerth said: "We have a situation in Wales where businesses often don’t know until the last minute if they’re going to be able to open. Even with this revised guidance, it is not clear what criteria need to be met for lifting of some restrictions.

“The balance between providing hope and raising false expectations is a fine line, but this uncertainty and lack of ability to forward plan even by a few weeks is making this more challenging for the public and for businesses.”

Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Andrew RT Davies said: “The Welsh Government have quietly published this document late on a Friday night clearly to avoid scrutiny.

“And I can understand why. This isn’t a roadmap out of lockdown to recovery that gives confidence to businesses and people across Wales.

“What the people of Wales need right now is a plan. That’s why we would have published a roadmap, with windows of opportunity, showing a clear path to the light at the end the Covid tunnel.”

The updated Coronavirus Control Plan sets out the following phased steps for moving from alert level four into alert level three:

From Monday 22 March:

• First phased opening of non-essential retail – restrictions on the sale of items will be lifted for shops, which are currently open;
• Garden centres re-open.

From Saturday 27 March:

Next week, Ministers will confirm if the conditions allow for the following relaxations to come into force:

• Stay local requirement lifted, moving Wales into alert level three;
• First phased opening of the tourism sector as self-contained accommodation opens;
• Organised outdoor children’s activities resume;
• Limited opening of outdoor areas of some historic places and gardens;
• Libraries re-open.

1 April review cycle

From 12 April (if conditions allow):

• Full return to schools, colleges and other education;
• All shops to open;
• Close contact services to open.

22 April review cycle

The following areas will be considered as part of the 22 April review, if the public health situation continues to remain positive and vaccination rates continue to increase:

• Gyms, leisure and fitness facilities;
• Outdoor attractions;
• Outdoor hospitality;
• Weddings;
• Community centres;
• Organised activities (30 outdoors, 15 indoors);
• Extended households.

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