Pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales will have to shut at 10pm every night under new measures to control the rising rate of coronavirus, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced this evening.

People across Wales have also been asked to only make “necessary journeys” ahead of hundreds of thousands going into local restrictions.

Four more council areas in Wales – Newport, Bridgend, Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil – now have extra restrictions. They follow Caerphilly and Rhondda Cynon Taf which are already in local lockdown.

Another eight council areas, including Anglesey, are being monitored for possible extra restrictions, after a further 281 cases of coronavirus have been reported on Tuesday, Public Health Wales said.

The new measures announced by the First Minister, are part of a package of co-ordinated actions to control the spread of coronavirus, which are being introduced across the UK. They will come into force in Wales at 6pm on Thursday (24 September).

To help further prevent the spread of coronavirus, the First Minister also announced:

  • A new £500 payment to support people on low incomes who are asked to self-isolate if they have coronavirus;
  • Strengthened regulations to ensure employers support people who need to self-isolate.

The changes follow a four-nation COBRA meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, which discussed a series of proposals for further action – many of which are already in place in Wales – to respond to rising rates of coronavirus transmission throughout the UK.

Announcing the new measures, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Once again, we are facing rising cases of coronavirus infections in different parts of Wales and once again we are seeing people being admitted to our hospitals with serious illnesses because of this virus.

“In the weeks and months ahead of us, there is a very real possibility we could see coronavirus regain a foothold in our local communities, towns and cities. None of us wants to see that happen again.

“In some parts of South Wales, where we have seen the sharpest rises in cases, there are already even stricter local restrictions in place to protect people’s health. We now need to make that difference across Wales.

“It was with the help of people across Wales that we got through the first wave in the spring – you followed all the rules and helped reduce cases of coronavirus, protecting the NHS and saving lives.

“We need everyone to follow the rules and guidance and to take the steps to protect them and their loved ones. Together, we can keep Wales safe.”

The changes come as new local restrictions have come into force for people living in Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Newport.

A series of measures announced by the Prime Minister for England are already in force in Wales:

  • In Wales, the Welsh Government asks all those who can to work from home wherever possible. This has been in force since late March;
  • Face coverings are required in all indoor public places, for both customers and staff working in those indoor public areas;
  • People in Wales can only meet socially indoors with people they live with (your household) and members of an exclusive extended household (known as a bubble). Meetings or gatherings indoors are limited to six people from the same extended household, not including any children under 11.

Rules and guidance already in place in Wales

  • You must work from home wherever possible
  • You can only meet six people indoors, and make sure that those six people are all part of your extended household
  • You must wear face coverings on public transport, in shops, and in enclosed public spaces

Welsh Conservative Member of the Senedd Andrew RT Davies said it was “important that, where possible, there is a national message that people can understand and realise what the obligations that are being placed on society”.

“It is collectively working together that will bear down on this virus, and ultimately defeat it,” said Mr Davies.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said that the next few weeks would be “crucial” in avoiding a second lockdown and said that the more “comprehensive and earlier restrictions introduced the shorter the period they are likely to be necessary”.

He also called for an enforceable ban on non-essential travel from lockdown areas in the rest of the UK into Wales to “keep communities safe”.

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said: “In areas of increased restrictions, we should go further than simply closing pubs at 10pm. In those areas, we should also restrict the sales of alcohol from off licences at 6pm and either close pubs indoors completely or close pubs that don’t serve food like they’ve done in Ireland. Crucially, these steps must be backed-up by sector-specific financial support to affected businesses.

“Nation-wide, there should be an enforceable ban on non-essential travel from lockdown areas in the rest of the UK into Wales to keep communities where there is decreased transmission safe. The First Minister should also consider having Covid-free areas and areas of low community transmission which would be exempt from any nationwide changes. This would serve two purposes: it would incentivise continued adherence to the rules in areas of low transmission and increase adherence to the rules in areas of higher transmission.”