New measures for pubs, bars & restaurants in Wales

Pubs and restaurants in Wales will be forced to stop selling alcohol entirely and shut their doors at 6pm under new rules set to come into force on Friday 4^th December.

First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the news during the Welsh Government briefing, outlining restrictions modelled on Scotland’s Tier 3 restrictions.

The new measures, brought into force following advice from the UK’s Sage group of scientific advisors, are set to be reviewed on 17^th December.

During the press conference, Drakeford said that “further restrictions on hospitality would be needed to ensure that there is enough headroom for Wales to relax coronavirus restrictions in time for Christmas.”

The R number in Wales is now as high as 1.4, meaning the virus is spreading considerably again.

What are the rules?

• Pubs, bars, restaurants & cafes will have to close b 6pm and will not be allowed to serve alcohol
• After 6pm, pubs, bars, restaurants & cafes will only be able to provide takeaway services
• Indoor entertainment venues, including cinemas, casinos, skating rinks, arcades and the like must close
• Indoor attractions such as museums, galleries & heritage sites will be required to close
• Outdoor visitor attractions will remain open

Plaid Cymru Shadow Minister for the Economy Helen Mary Jones said it was “deeply regretful” that restrictions now had to be introduced.

“The £160m “Restrictions Business Fund” will offer firms in the hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors that pay non-domestic rates grants of up to £5,000.

A sector specific £180m Economic Resilience Fund would also be made available to those businesses affected by the lockdown. The party have called for more support for local authorities to process and deliver payments quickly to affected businesses.