Five-mile rule is lifted as the lockdown is eased further
WALES is welcoming back visitors to its countryside, beaches, and beauty spots as lockdown restrictions are further eased today.
Guidance barring Welsh residents from travelling further than five miles from their homes is lifted today, enabling people to travel around, and into, the country for the first time since lockdown began.
The Welsh Government said the measures will “pave the way” for the tourism sector to begin reopening from Saturday, July 11, “if conditions allow”.
First Minister Mark Drakeford urged people visiting the countryside, beaches and beauty spots to do so safely by respecting others, protecting the environment, and following physical distancing rules.
Over the weekend Welsh pubs, cafes and restaurants remained closed as similar businesses in England welcomed customers back for the first time in more than three months.
Scenes showing large crowds gathering on the streets of Soho, in central London, led to concerns from some that physical distancing rules could not be maintained within a pub setting.
The chair of the Police Federation said it was “crystal clear” that drunk people can’t or won’t socially distance.
But the Metropolitan Police said although “a small number” of premises closed early following advice from officers about overcrowding, there were “no significant issues” in the capital.
The Welsh Government currently plans to allow pubs, restaurants, and cafes to open outdoors only from July 13 provided there is no resurgence in the number of Covid-19 cases.
On Monday the Welsh Government said the countryside code has been revised in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
People are now asked to:
■ Respect other people
■ Consider the local community and other people enjoying the outdoors;
■ Park carefully so access to gateways and driveways are clear;
■ Leave gates and property as you find them;
■ Follow paths, but give way to others where it’s narrow.
■ Protect the natural environment
■ Leave no trace of your visit and take all your litter home;
■ Be careful with barbecues and don’t light fires;
■ Keep dogs under effective control;
■ Dog poo: bag it and bin it, or take it with you.
■ Enjoy the outdoors
■ Plan ahead, check what facilities are open, be prepared;
■ Follow advice and local signs and obey social distancing measures.
Mr Drakeford said: “We live in such a beautiful part of the world, and I know many of us are looking forward to visiting beaches, the countryside, and our many beauty spots.
“People throughout Wales have done so much over the last few months to follow the rules and help reduce the spread of coronavirus – I thank them for their patience and understanding. I ask them to continue in this spirit.
“Unfortunately over the recent weeks we’ve seen the results of people not treating parts of Wales with respect, with crowds leaving piles of litter in their wake. This selfish behaviour is a blight on our beauty spots and puts people at risk.
“While many footpaths and car parks are reopening, not all
facilities will be available in every location straight away. Please check websites where possible and plan your visit. If your planned destination is too busy when you arrive have a plan B ready and try an alternative car park or destination.
“Coronavirus has not gone away and, while the evidence shows the risk outdoors is lower, there is still a risk. We therefore
need to continue to act responsibly. Be kind to local residents and to fellow visitors by parking considerately, leaving nothing behind, and following the recently-revised countryside code.”
Tegryn Jones, chief executive of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, said: “We know people have missed being outdoors and the important role that nature plays in supporting the health of our nation. We want to encourage people to enjoy Wales’ natural landscapes safely, responsibly and ultimately, more sustainably.
“National park communities are already working hard to ensure there will be a warm welcome for our visitors and we’re working hard with these communities and partners to ensure the national parks can be enjoyed safely by everyone.
“We urge those who choose to explore our landscapes in the coming weeks and months, perhaps for the first time, to do so with respect – for the people and wildlife, which call it home and for each other.”
Darren Millar, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Covid-19 Recovery, said: ““People across Wales have given up significant freedoms during the course of the coronavirus pandemic but today they are getting an important one back.
“The Welsh Government was wrong to impose an arbitrary five-mile travel restriction on its citizens. Such a limit was unnecessary, undermined people’s mental health and personal relationships, and made the reopening of many businesses unviable.
“I’m glad that the First Minister has finally caved in to our pressure and that these travel restrictions are now being lifted.
“The scrapping of this cruel rule can’t come too soon for those who will finally be able to see their loved ones for the first time in months, and for those who can finally reopen their businesses and get our economy moving again.”
SCHOOL inspectorate Estyn will publish a report in the autumn looking at the work of schools during the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on pupils’ wellbeing and learning.
When schools shut suddenly in March, on-site Estyn inspections halted too. Even before coronavirus struck, this term was meant to be the last term of inspections as usual across Wales for a year as Estyn had been preparing to embark on major changes in any case.
The usual inspections were to be halted for a year from September 2020 to allow schools breathing space as they work towards introducing the new curriculum.
Estyn would have kept in touch with them to discuss how plans for the new curriculum are going. That won’t happen now. Instead Estyn will halt inspections to ask schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) how they are working in the new world of “blended” learning at home and school.
“Instead of focusing on how prepared schools are for the curriculum we’ll initially be finding out about the impact the current crisis has had on the wellbeing and learning of their pupils and on their future plans,” chief inspector of schools in Wales Meilyr Rowlands said.
While Education Minister Kirsty Williams has confirmed the new curriculum will go ahead on schedule – despite calls by some to delay it while staff tackle the changes wrought by coronavirus – Estyn must turn its attention to schools’ work in lockdown and blended learning at home and in the classroom.
From September inspectors will talk to schools by phone and in virtual meetings to look at how they are coping in the “new normal” with an emphasis on pupil and staff wellbeing. They have already begun to do that this term to some extent.
Estyn said it will publish a report in the autumn covering the national picture, drawing on engagement it has had with schools during the pandemic and its impact on pupils’ wellbeing and learning.
The chief inspector’s annual report for 2019-20 will be published in December and will also report on the educational response to the pandemic.
Mr Rowlands said he recognised it has been an “anxious time” for learners, parents, and school staff.
“Our main priority at the moment is the wellbeing of learners, staff, and the community and over the past few months our inspectors have been speaking to headteachers and governors across Wales to listen to their views and concerns.
“We’ve also been supporting schools and pupil referral units (PRUs) by working closely with local authorities, consortia and Welsh Government to develop advice and guidance on school business and continuing learning for children and young people.
“We’re sticking to the plan we made before the pandemic to engage with all schools and PRUs from September for a year rather than inspecting a sample of schools.
“But instead of focusing on how prepared schools are for the curriculum, we’ll initially be finding out about the impact the current crisis has had on the wellbeing and learning of their pupils and on their future plans.
“Our overriding aim as an inspectorate now is to support the Welsh education system and to provide government ministers with independent and objective evidence and advice.
“We will continue to keep in touch with providers remotely while they are physically closed for education.
“We will not inspect maintained schools next academic year. Instead, after a suitable period for readjustment, inspectors will visit schools to listen to concerns and to identify what is working well.
“The purpose of our current conversations with schools and these future engagement visits is to gain a national picture and not to judge the approaches of individual schools, to gather intelligence on the education system as a whole, and to gauge the immediate and longer-term impact of the coronavirus crisis on learning and on the wellbeing of pupils and staff.”
Estyn will also not continue with formal monitoring visits for schools and other providers in follow-up categories.
“These are uncertain times and we are committed to being supportive and flexible in the way we gather and provide intelligence and advice for government,” said Mr Rowlands.
An Estyn spokesman added: “We’ve been talking informally to headteachers to see how they are managing at the moment and to listen to their views and concerns.
“We’ve discussed wellbeing issues, the practicalities of distance learning, school reopening, and how we could provide further guidance.”
Specific areas of discussion include safeguarding, the operational challenges of reopening, support for vulnerable learners, Welsh-language needs, communication with parents, and the support available to them.
Short examples of how schools and PRUs across Wales have been adapting their work have been published to promote good practice.