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Welsh shops first to re-open?
February 19, 2021
Non-essential retail in Wales may be the first in the UK to re-open with mid-March a possibility if the country's solid progress in managing Covid-19 continues.
The Welsh Government has confirmed that it will be looking at the restrictions around non-essential retail and close contact services as part of its next 21-day review which will end on Friday, March 12. A retail re-opening could take place within days of that review.
As part of the last 21-day review, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced today that children aged three to seven will be able to return to school from Monday, February 22.
Latest figures from Public Health Wales show that the infection rate across the country has now dropped to 83.7 per 100,000 population based on the seven days up to February 13. That is a decrease from 85.8 on Wednesday and is the lowest it has been since September.
However, concern has been expressed about the appearance of Kent and South African variants of the virus in Wales which will be monitored closely before any further unlocking in the country.
The Northern Ireland
Executive decided yesterday that lockdown restirctions will continue until at least April 1 - previously they were due to expire on March 5.
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this week that more family contacts and the reopening of non-essential retail could be among the first steps taken, followed by a wider relaunch of the economy. She is expected to make a further announcement next week but retail is not expected to re-open before March 15 at the earliest with Easter being a more likely expectation.
England
awaits the announcement on Monday by Boris Johnson detailing a route map out of lock-down.
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