Covid: Indoor eating and drinking in Wales back on menu

Indoor eating and drinking was back on the menu from Monday as Wales eased Covid rules to alert level two.

Cinemas and visitor attractions such as museums and galleries were also allowed to reopen in the latest round of lockdown easing.

Wales' latest reopening was similar to that of last summer, but this time with a vaccination programme in place.

Foreign travel is permitted to a small number of countries, although the Welsh government has advised against it.

However physical contact, such as hugs, is still restricted to members of extended households or "support bubbles", unlike in England.

After three lockdowns and the vaccination programme roll-out, Wales has seen a significant fall in Covid cases in recent months.

But newly reappointed First Minister Mark Drakeford said the Welsh government would maintain its cautious approach to lockdown easing, as concerns rise about a variant of coronavirus from India.

Ministers had considered relaxing lockdown restrictions further from Monday, but Mr Drakeford said officials had "decided to hold back" for more advice on the variant.

From Monday, Wales is adopting the "traffic-light" system, allowing the resumption of international travel.

But the first minister warned last week international travel was "best avoided" because of concerns travellers could carry Covid with them.

Teresa Moriarty, owner of Coffee Plus in Cardiff, was delighted to reopen indoors and hopes to keep the new customers who used her takeaway service during lockdown.

"There has been a lot of support for small businesses, we've adapted and done pretty well," she said.

Inside was a mix of people getting away from working at home to families spending time together again.

Kirsty Jones, from Cardiff, who was with her grandmother for brunch, said: "It's lovely to start getting back to normal. We haven't seen each other as much as we would have liked, so it's lovely not to have to worry about the weather."

Anna Redfern, who owns Cinema and Co in Swansea, called the Welsh government's rules for the hospitality and tourism trade "bewildering".

"The government is telling us what direction to walk in, what doors to use and they're just impractical," she told BBC Radio Wales.

"Trying to navigate through this rule book which is supposed to be guidance is really stressful."

Catherine Hummel, co-owner of Riverside Camping near Caernarfon, said it was "very exciting" to be able to welcome back campers with tents as she could now reopen shower and toilet facilities as part of the easing of rules.

"It's great news because a lot of them we didn't see last year at all," she said.

Conwy's Castle Hotel general manager Joe Lavin said phones had been "melting" due to demand ahead of welcoming customers back from Monday.

"We're looking at a full week from this weekend and beyond," he said.

Mr Lavin said the "biggest change" to the business was adopting track and trace technology and an online booking system.

Sian Shepphard, owner of the Horse and Jockey pub in Pontypool, said advance bookings for inside dining had been "brilliant", although the business had remained busy in its beer garden prior to the rules easing further.

"We've got lots of measures in place just to make sure that everyone's safe but primarily has a good time and actually is able to come out and eat inside a restaurant," she said.

Holidaymakers began setting off with travel firm Edwards Coaches in Llantrisant, for UK getaways.

Owner Jason Edwards said Covid had been "devastating" but added Monday felt like Christmas morning with staff turning up to work two hours early.

"That just gives you an idea of the appetite for getting things done," he said.

Customer Gill Jones said she was "over the moon" to be able to travel by coach to the Lake District.

"A year last February was the last holiday I went on... so this is a big escape," she said.

The Adventure Parc Snowdonia complex in the Conwy valley is to reopen on Tuesday, having been closed since March 2020.

Alongside its surfing facilities, a new hotel will open its doors for the first time following a £20m upgrade of the site in the hope of capitalising on 'staycations'.

"Unfortunately we lost a lot of staff [but] we're rebuilding now to reopen both the adventure park and the Hilton Garden Inn, hopefully with a bang," said managing director Andy Ainscough.

"Bookings are very strong, there's a lot of interest, not only in north Wales but in ourselves and the local attractions, so it's very positive.

"Especially with staycations this year, and [it being] harder to get abroad, hopefully north Wales will be the choice for people's holidays."

Mr Drakeford said last week the restrictions were being relaxed "thanks to everyone's hard work and ongoing efforts".

"By sticking with the rules and our successful vaccine programme, we are making really good progress in controlling the virus and keeping rates low.

"But the pandemic isn't over. The new, so-called Indian variant of concern is another unwanted twist in this pandemic, which we are monitoring closely."