International travel will not be permitted from Wales while the same restriction remains in force in England, Mark Drakeford has said.
People in England will also not be able to travel into Wales without a reasonable excuse during the month-long lockdown, the first minister said on Monday.
Wales is due to lift its two-week circuit-breaker lockdown on November 9.
Announcing the measures that will replace it, Drakeford said: ’People who live in Wales but work in England will have a reasonable reason for travelling to work.
’People who live in England and work in Wales clearly have a reasonable excuse for coming across the border to work here.
’But it will be a restricted list of essential purposes, rather than the normal to-ing and fro-ing across the border that you would have seen in less fraught and difficult times.”
Announcing the international travel ban Drakeford said leaving Cardiff Airport open “would be a magnet to draw people from other parts of the United Kingdom into Wales at a point where we don’t want that to happen”.
The new national measures in Wales include:
– The need to maintain two-metre social distancing and wear face masks in enclosed public places, including on public transport and taxis, will continue.
– The requirement to work from home whenever possible will remain.
– People should only meet with their “bubble” in their own home and only two households will be able to form a “bubble”. If one person from either household develops symptoms, everyone should immediately self-isolate.
– Up to 15 people can take part in an organised indoor activity and up to 30 in an organised activity outdoors, providing all social distancing, hand hygiene and other Covid-19 safety measures are followed.
– All premises, such as restaurants, cafes, pubs and gyms, closed during the fire-break will be able to reopen. Following the announcement about the English lockdown, ministers are having ongoing discussions with the hospitality sector about the detailed rules for reopening. This includes about meeting in public indoor spaces.
– As part of keeping risks to a minimum, people should avoid non-essential travel as much as possible. There will be no legal restrictions on travel within Wales for residents, but international travel should be for essential reasons only.
Drakeford said the announcement of a second lockdown in England came as a “surprise”, with the Welsh government finding out about it through newspaper reports.