How fire-break rules compare to rest of UK

WALES is set for a major change in national coronavirus rules as a fire-break lockdown comes into effect from Friday. So how does what First Minister Mark Drakeford announced yesterday tally with the approach elsewhere around the UK at the moment?

In England a new three-tier alert system has come into place and means more than 28m people are now living under additional restrictions which cover more than half the country. The lowest tier is tier one, or medium, and in such areas people can meet indoors or outdoors providing they follow the rule of six. Pubs and restaurants must shut at 10pm.

Under tier two, or high, no household mixing is permitted indoors but groups of up to six can congregate outside, while the 10pm closure of pubs and restaurants also applies.

In the top tier three, or very high, no household mixing is allowed at all whether indoors or outdoors in hospitality venues or in private gardens but the rule of six applies in outdoor public settings such as parks. Pubs and bars not serving meals must close, while there is guidance in place against travelling into or out of the area.

Additional measures may be put in place at specific local levels.

Northern Ireland has begun a strict four-week circuit-breaker set of measures, with the hospitality sector shut other than for deliveries and takeaways, schools closed for at least two weeks, no mass events of more than 15 people except for permitted outdoor sporting events, and close contact services like hairdessers unable to operate. Gyms are allowed to open for individual training but classes are banned, while places of worship can remain open provided people wear face coverings when arriving and leaving.

In Scotland tougher measures have been in place for a little longer, with all pubs and restaurants in the ‘central belt’ area, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, shut since 6pm on October 9.

Licensed venues must remain closed until October 25 but can operate as takeaways, and cafés which don’t serve alcohol are entitled to open until 6pm. Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés in the rest of Scotland cannot serve alcohol indoors but can outdoors until 10pm.

Weddings and funerals are limited to 20 people only, while mixing in private homes is only allowed between extended households, which can be formed either by people living alone or in single-parent families and another household of any size. Groups of up to six, not counting under-12s, from no more than two households can meet outdoors.