Alcohol banned in Welsh pubs in latest virus curbs

Hospitality venues in Wales will be barred from serving alcohol and must close early under new coronavirus restrictions to be introduced later this week, the Welsh government said Monday.

The new regulations, which come into force on Friday, will see Welsh pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes forced to stop selling alcohol and shut by 6pm daily.

Businesses can offer a takeaway service after 6pm, and can sell takeaway alcohol up until 10 pm if they have an off-licence.

Meanwhile indoor entertainment venues will close their doors for at least two weeks. However, gyms, hairdressers and other non-essential retail outlets will still be allowed to operate.

The new rules come less than a month after the lifting of a two-week ‘firebreak’ lockdown across Wales, and follow another rise in virus cases, particularly among under-25s.

Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford said the rising rates and concern about a post-Christmas spike meant the further action was needed.

“The facts are stark. Our modelling suggests that unless we act, between 1,000 and 1,700 preventable deaths could take place over the winter period,” he said.

The measures will be reviewed on December 17, and then every three weeks.

The Welsh government has also announced an additional £340 million to support businesses affected by the new restrictions, with a specific £160m fund to support hospitality and tourism businesses.

Ben Francis, Wales Policy Chair at Federation of Small Businesses, said the funding should be rolled out as a “matter of urgency”, adding that the latest measures will come as a “devastating blow” to indoor entertainment and hospitality firms.

“Businesses will now be in a position that means that they are entirely reliant on this financial support in order to weather the winter,” he said. “Funding must be accessible, readily available and paid in the quickest possible time so that it can get into the hands of those where it will make a real difference.”

The UK’s four constituent nations agreed last week to ease rules over Christmas, allowing three households to mix over a period of five days.

England, which is nearing the end of a four-week national lockdown, will return to a regional tiered system of regulations when the stay-at-home order ends Wednesday.

Almost all the country will be in the top two tiers, though, which severely limits or outlaws socialising between households indoors.