Marked queuing areas, widened pavements and one-way pedestrian zones will be features in Flintshire towns from Monday

Marked queuing areas, widened pavements and, in some places, one-way pedestrian zones will be noticeable features in Flintshire towns from Monday when non-essential shops will reopen.

Flintshire Council has welcomed the announcement today by first minister Mark Drakeford of the further easing of lockdown restrictions.

Council bosses wrote to Mark Drakeford earlier this week calling for lockdown measures to be eased.

The co-signed letter – which is supported by all seven political groups which make- up the council – called on the Welsh Government to ease a number of restrictions in a bid to restart the economy.

Along with the opening on non-essential retail they called for open-air attractions and destinations to be allowed to re-open.

The also called on the Welsh Government to abandon the “stay local” five-mile guidance as it was causing “confusion and impossible to enforce.”

Today’s announcement means retailers will be able to resume trading from Monday, ministers have decided to lift the requirement to stay local on 6 July, “provided the conditions allow.”

A Flintshire Council spokesperson said: “We have been preparing for further relaxation of lockdown restrictions in the town centres and for more people wanting to come back to the towns to shop and to access services.

Visitors will find a number of changes in many towns to help them to stay safe during their visit including signs, marked queuing areas, widened pavements and, in some places, one-way pedestrian zones.

We’re taking a cautious approach to lifting the coronavirus restrictions to #KeepWalesSafe.

Thanks to your actions, cases in Wales continue to fall. This is giving us room to carefully ease more restrictions.

Here are the key dates to note 👇 pic.twitter.com/v9iUPvWn6f

— Welsh Government (@WelshGovernment) June 19, 2020

The social distancing measures put in place have been designed to help businesses trade effectively and to make the town centres as welcoming and comfortable as possible without compromising public health and safety.

The town centre businesses that have been open to date have proved invaluable in supporting Flintshire residents during these very difficult times.

Flintshire’s town centres have a wide range of shops selling a great variety of high-quality goods and services and we hope that residents will take the opportunity over the coming weeks to show their support for their towns and support local businesses.

Working with our partners, we will continue to develop further appropriate measures and solutions needed to ensure the resilience and viability of Flintshire’s towns.”

Other changes announced by the first minister, from Monday:

• Enabling private prayer in places of worship where social distancing is maintained and gatherings do not take place;
• Restarting the housing market by enabling house viewings to take place in vacant properties and house moves where a sale has been agreed but not yet completed;
• Lifting the restrictions on outdoor sports courts but social distancing must be maintained. No contact or team sports will be allowed;
• Enabling non-professional elite athletes, including Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, to resume training.

At the next review on 9 July, the Welsh Government will consider a range of specific options for opening:

• Self-contained holiday accommodation;
• Personal care services, such as hairdressing and beauty, by appointment.
• Discussions will also be held with the hospitality sector about the potential phased reopening of pubs, cafes and restaurants while maintaining strict social distancing.

More here: https://www.deeside.com/first-minister-outlines-biggest-unlocking-of-the-coronavirus-regulations-to-date/