It's been a long two years of lockdowns, fire-breaks, restrictions and mandatory face-coverings, but nearly all Wales' coronavirus rules and regulations will be gone by Monday. From Monday, face-coverings are no longer compulsory in shops or on public transport in Wales, though they are still required in health and social care settings.
First Minister Mark Drakeford had initially indicated earlier this month that all remaining restrictions could end from Monday, but that didn't end up being the case due to the recent rise in cases of coronavirus in Wales. To help keep vulnerable people safe, face-coverings are still mandatory in doctors' surgeries, dental practices, chemists and all other health and social care setting, unless someone is medically exempt.
It's not yet known when the requirement to wear a face-covering in health and social care settings is likely to be lifted. Another change from Monday is that it is no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate if you test positive for Covid.
Read more: Two years since lockdown: The life-changing experiences of people stuck in their own homes
People who test positive are still "strongly advised" to self-isolate to help keep others safe, but it is no longer required by law. Coronavirus is still circulating in Wales, with cases rapidly increasing again — here, a doctor explains why it seems like everyone is ill at the moment, though not necessarily with Covid.
Addressing the nation on Friday, March 25, Mr Drakeford said: "The last two years have shown just how many twists and turns there have been during this coronavirus journey, and that unpredictability continues to the present day. Three weeks ago when I was last here, at the last review, the public health situation had been improving steadily for many weeks."
"Cases were falling in all parts of Wales and we were hopeful that the worst of the pandemic was behind us. Unfortunately, today we face circumstances which have changed again."
"Cases are once more rapidly increasing across Wales. Now this rise in infections is being driven along by a sub-type of the Omicron variant, called BA.2."
"It's a faster-moving, even more transmissible form of the virus than the Omicron wave itself, which caused such a huge rise in cases over Christmas and the New Year. And the majority of new cases identified in Wales are now caused by that BA.2 variant."
"[Recent data] shows how the estimated percent of the population with Covid-19 has risen quickly over the last few weeks in Wales, Scotland and England. The latest results from the ONS Coronavirus Infection Survey suggest around one in 16 people in Wales had coronavirus."
"Today, a week later than that ONS survey, we think that it might be as high as one in 12."
Mr Drakeford added that Wales has seen a rise in "pandemic pressures" on the NHS: "There are currently more than 1,400 Covid-19 related patients in hospitals [in Wales]. That's the highest level for more than a year. You have to go back to the start of March last year to see that number of people in hospital with Covid-19."
"And at this level, it's also inevitable that wider hospital services start to be Affected, because there are so many beds unavailable because of Covid. And as the risk of Covid increases in the general population, so the risk of catching it in hospital increases, and there are more people who would be working in our health or care services who are themselves not able to be in the workplace because they are ill with coronavirus.
"The health service has worked so hard to reinstate all those other essential services it provides and to make inroads into all those treatments which were postponed during the pandemic, but with numbers as we have seen in the last few weeks, this increasing pandemic pressure puts pressure on that progress as well."
With this in mind, Mr Drakeford acknowledged that he'd hoped to be able to take the next steps in the road out of restrictions from Monday, March 28 and replace the legal framework with guidance. He said some rules needed to be kept as law, in order to keep people safe with the rising cases of the BA.2 variant of coronavirus.
Coronavirus rules in Wales from March 28 - what rules are still in place?
- Face-coverings are still legally required in health and social care settings. They are also still recommended, though not required, for adults in classrooms and school settings
Businesses, organisations and workplaces are still legally required to carry out a specific "coronavirus risk assessment," and then to put in place "reasonable measures" to reduce the risk of spreading the virus on their premises
What rules have been lifted?
- Self-isolation after a positive coronavirus test is no longer legally required, though it is "strongly advised". It is also advised that anyone with symptoms self-isolates, though this is no longer legally required either.
- Face coverings are no longer legally required in shops or on public transport, though they are "strongly advised" in crowded areas.
When will the next review of Covid rules take place?
The next review of the Covid rules in Wales is set to take place on Good Friday (April 15, 2022). The £500 self-isolation payment for those eligible is set to be available until this June. For all our stories about activities and events this Easter in Wales go here.
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