Covid: Businesses 'need a roadmap' for reopening

Businesses in Wales need a roadmap for reopening, business owners say.

It comes after First Minister Mark Drakeford said the country would remain in lockdown until at least the next review, on 19 February.

Wales has been in lockdown since a few nights before Christmas after a surge in coronavirus cases.

But Charlotte Griffiths, owner of Xtended Locks in Rumney, Cardiff, said firms will not survive if they cannot plan ahead.

CCTV footage has shown people fleeing as police raided a beauty salon suspected of breaking lockdown rules in Cwmbran, Torfaen, on 16 January.

"I would never condone anyone to open their salons illegally but we are at that point where there is desperation," Ms Griffiths said.

On Friday, the Welsh Government announced further details on support for businesses.

It said an additional £200m was being used to extend the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF), Restrictions Business Fund non-domestic Rates (NDR) grant and discretionary-based grants for all non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors.

It said it was "part of a package of more than £2bn of Welsh Government help for businesses".

"If we had an idea of a roadmap or or a time scale or a rough idea of when we can go back we can forecast and be able to plan any help that we do receive to see if we can make it last," Ms Griffiths continued.

"None of us know how long this is going to last for or how long we need to stretch this money - we can't even plan the money that we're given because we don't have any idea of when we're going to go back.

"It can't continue like this - businesses won't survive".

Paul Wyatt, who owns the village pub We Three Loggerheads, in Gwernymynydd, Flintshire, said the only positive announcement was about funding.

He said furlough had allowed him to retain all of his staff, but he fears what will happen if it finishes at the end of April.

"If it's not extended beyond then, who knows, we may not be able to keep them on our books and that's not great news," he continued.

"Fortunately, we had a very, very busy summer when they allowed us to reopen last year which enabled us to get through this winter - if we don't have that again this year, then there's no way we can get through a second winter."

Being allowed to reopen but banned from serving alcohol though, would be of no help.

"If they intend to open us with restrictions, I wouldn't be happy if they opened us with no ability to sell alcohol," Mr Wyatt said.

"The last time they did that we just had to close our doors, we just had no customers.

"I didn't see the logic in that and if I did it again I wouldn't see the logic in it the second time around."

Thomas Scarrott, owner of Vale Holiday Parks Ltd, has caravan sites in both Wales and England.

He said: "We're certainly very grateful for the furlough scheme - it's helped us throughout the winter and before that.

"We're very, very grateful for any support we can get from the government and the NDR grants being extended have certainly been welcome news as we approach what is traditionally the, the start of the holiday park season."

But he said it felt like the end was in sight: "We're making the best of what really is a very bad situation.

"What I got from [Friday's] announcement is that things are slowly starting to turn to some sort of normality.

"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to look at it as my glass being half full, rather than half empty."