CARDIFF (Parliament Politics Magazine): Nightclubs in Wales will be allowed to reopen on Friday after restrictions on businesses imposed to combat the Omicron variant were lifted.
The rule of six will be abolished in pubs and restaurants, and businesses will not be required to implement social distancing policies any more.
Working from home will no longer be required by law.
However, mask-wearing regulations, which were repealed in England, are still in place in stores, hospitals, and public transportation.
The recent high of coronavirus cases in Wales has passed, with rates presently hovering around those recorded in early December.Mark Drakeford, First Minister confirmed the revisions, saying they were “encouraging evidence that Covid cases may be beginning to stabilise.”
It was still required to keep making efforts to stay safe because unfortunately, the pandemic wasn’t done yet, he warned.
The Welsh government shut nightclubs as the only companies that were completely shut down as a result of the Omicron wave.
Masks will not be a legal requirement in cafes, bars, restaurants, and nightclubs, and rules requiring licensed establishments to employ table service and gather contact information will be lifted.
Masks are still needed in schools until the half-term in February.
Self-isolation will still be required if someone contracts Covid, but the minimum period will be reduced to five days starting Friday.
At 0600 GMT on Friday, the switch to alert level zero, the lowest level of restrictions, went into effect.
Conservatives have pressed the government to specify when the rest of Covid rules will be repealed.
After limitations on sports and community events were loosened in the weeks leading up to the 26th of December, this is the final set of rules to be lifted.
Russell George, a spokesman for the Welsh Conservatives on health, said the Welsh government needs to inform the people when there won’t be a need for warning levels in Wales.
Just as dates were needed on when people could learn to live with the virus without the threat of shutdowns to handle hypothetical variants.
That meant eliminating detrimental business limitations, making face coverings a choice and self-responsibility, and eliminating coercive, useless, and pointless vaccine passports that still lack proof of effectiveness.
“Today’s lifting of restrictions is really encouraging news and confirmation that there really is light at the end of this tunnel”, said Rhun ap Iorwerth, a health spokeswoman for Plaid Cymru.
There is evidence that we’re on the verge of being endemic, albeit we’re not quite there yet. The Welsh government now needs to put in place strong measures so that living with Covid as an endemic disease could be learnt while also being prepared to react rapidly if circumstances change.
“They must also devise a strategy to ensure that our NHS continues to function.”
Meanwhile, it must be continued to push transmission below by implementing simple measures such as mask use, ventilation, and pushing even greater vaccination coverage. It’s been a long two years, and the organisations would like to express gratitude to all health and care staff.
Businesses will still be needed to do a Covid risk assessment, but the two-metre social distancing rule will be removed.
In Wales, more than 1.8 million booster doses have been administered, with 36,000 people registering for their first Covid vaccination injection since the beginning of December.
