Coronavirus: Wales to open garden centres and relax exercise rules from Monday

Wales will remain in lockdown for another three weeks to avoid “a return of the virus” – but restrictions will be eased slightly from Monday.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the rules in place have “helped us all to save lives” from coronavirus, and that if they were to change, Wales would see hospital admissions soar.

He added that he believes that the R number (the rate of infection) of COVID-19 in Wales, was at 0.8.

That means an infected person will, on average, infect less than one other.

But he said that three changes will be made to restrictions from Monday.

They are:

• People will be allowed to go outside to exercise more than once a day – but that exercise must begin and end at home and must not include travel
• Garden centres can open as long as they adhere to social distancing guidelines
• Local authorities will begin planning how to safely re-open libraries and tips

Mr Drakeford went on to say that vulnerable people must continue to shield and over-70s should continue to take extra care, adding that he is committed to “keeping our people safe”.

He said that he expects 800 more people to join the “very sad and sombre list” of deaths – but that if lockdown was fully lifted, the number of deaths could reach 7,200.

The first minister told reporters that he believes any changes being made to the UK wide-restrictions, due to be announced on Sunday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, will be modest, and broadly similar to those made in Wales.

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However, he believes the small changes he has announced, will make a difference to people, without raising the R rate.

Mr Drakeford becomes the second UK leader to seemingly announce the government’s intentions before Mr Johnson, but told Sky News that talking with Westminster has been working “well”, and that they “are open and are engaged”, but admitted he would prefer a more regular pattern of communication.

His commitment to the lockdown measures echoes that of the Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, who said on Thursday that the restrictions would continue to be in place after Monday, and beyond.

Speaking on Friday at her daily news conference, Nicola Sturgeon gave more detail on the Scottish lockdown, saying that the “only change that we’re considering in the immediate term is the guidance on outdoor exercise”.

She added that on a call with the prime minister and other devolved leaders, that there was a “helpful recognition” that the four nations of the UK may choose to move at different speeds, should the available data allow that to happen.

Boris Johnson triggered widespread speculation when he said he would be making an address on Sunday evening, adding that he revealed he wants to “get going” on plans to slightly reduce restrictions in England.

Analysis: Despite the talk of national unity – the nations have done lockdown differently

By Sam Coates, deputy political editor

Did you know that in Wales, the ban on visiting beauty spots is set down in law, as is the rule requiring you to stay two meters away from someone else. This isn’t the case in England.

Equally did you know that in Scotland you are advised to wear a face mask if going into a busy space, but this isn’t true in England either.

Despite the talk of national unity, actually the four nations have done lockdown quite differently.

Ultimately the issue of Mark Drakeford setting out lockdown changes two days before Boris Johnson is not particularly material. The issue of different nations doing things in different ways hasn’t caused too much trouble because getting into the schemes was the easy bit

Coming out of lockdown, and the various schemes to keep Britain at home is a different matter, not least when only the Treasury has to worry about the debt piling up to pay for it.

The governments in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast do not have to worry so much about the Treasury in Whitehall as it reels from the dizzying about of debt it is racking up..

This, cabinet ministers believe, is likely to mean both they and the opposition will always oppose the curtailment of schemes costing billions and urge the delay to ending lockdown measures,.

The politics of coronavirus is about to get more difficult, and devolution is partly to blame.

(c) Sky News 2020: Coronavirus: Wales to open garden centres and relax exercise rules from Monday