Tourism in Wales could re-open by Easter as Health Minister says people will benefit if they do the right thing

Tourism in Wales could potentially re-open in time for Easter depending on the outcome of future reviews, the country’s Health Minister has said.

However Vaughan Gething said that ramping the industry back up again would be dependent on people complying with the coronavirus regulations and infection rates being low.

During a press conference held this afternoon, he said the main priority for the Welsh Government was ensuring children can return to school.

Further reviews may then consider whether it’s safe for tourist attractions to open their doors, depending on whether the NHS could cope with the potential impact of such a move.

When questioned on the possible re-opening at Easter, he said: “These things are possible but as we say, we’ll work through each of our reviews every three weeks to understand the headroom we have available and to understand our first priority, that being reopening face to face learning for children and young people.

“We’ll then work through to see what else is possible. We’ll have more choices, though, if we can be successful together and continue to drive down coronavirus case rates and continue to make sure there’s room to ensure that our National Health Service is not overwhelmed.

“That’s part of the purpose of all of this is to make sure we’re all doing the right thing, because we’ll all benefit by getting to the end of this sooner rather than later.

“That’s about washing your hands regularly, it’s about keeping your distance, wearing a face covering, good ventilation and please do get a test if you have symptoms and stay at home.”