Cinemas, museums and beauty salons can reopen from Monday, as Wales’ coronavirus restrictions continue to be relaxed, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced today.
Tourist accommodation with shared facilities, such as camping sites and all hotels will be able to re-open from Saturday (25 July) as will underground attractions, marking the full re-opening of Wales’ visitor attractions.
New rules making it compulsory to wear a face covering on public transport, including taxis, will also come into effect on Monday (27 July).
This is the latest in the phased re-opening of Wales’ hospitality, leisure and retail sectors. In addition to beauty salons, nail parlours, tattoo shops, cinemas, amusement arcades, museums and galleries, the coronavirus regulations will also be amended to enable the housing market to re-open fully.
But while the removal of restrictions enables all these businesses to reopen, it does not require them to.
First Minister, Mark Drakeford said:
“Thanks to the efforts we have all made to reduce the spread of the virus, we are taking further steps to re-open more of Wales.
“More of our retail, leisure, hospitality and tourism sectors, which play such an important part in our economy, will start to welcome back customers and guests from tomorrow.
“As more places start to reopen, we must get used to some changes to help protect ourselves and the people working in these businesses. This may mean having to book ahead or giving our details to the places we are visiting, to help our Test Trace Protect service, in the event there’s an outbreak of coronavirus.
“It’s the responsibility of all of us to follow these new rules so we can keep ourselves and our loved ones safe.
“Coronavirus has not gone away. But if we all work together, we can keep Wales safe.”
[accordions]
[accordion title=”From Saturday 25 July” load=”hide”]Accommodation with shared facilities can reopen (self-contained accommodation opened from July 11);
Underground attractions can reopen.[/accordion]
[accordion title=”From Monday 27 July” load=”hide”]Indoor cinemas, museums, amusement arcades, galleries and archive services can reopen;
The housing market can reopen fully;
Beauty salons, massage parlours, tanning, piercings, tattoos, electrolysis, acupuncture will be able to restart. Treatments on the face should not be carried out for the time being;
Spas, but only for beauty treatments (excluding those on the face);
Face coverings will be compulsory on public transport, including taxis, for over 11s.[/accordion]
[/accordions]
The next formal review of the regulations will be carried out by 30 July. The Welsh Government will consider a range of options, including the options for the opening of pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants indoors.
