Travel between Wales and parts of the UK permitted from Friday
Travel between Wales and some other parts of the UK will be allowed from 6pm on Friday, the Welsh Government has announced.
It will be permitted to and from Tier 1 and 2 areas of England and Level 1 and 2 areas of Scotland.
New legislation published on the Welsh Government’s website says travel is prohibited between Wales and Tier 3 areas of England, Level 3 or 4 areas of Scotland, and the whole of Northern Ireland, which is currently under lockdown.
But the Welsh Government said it would be “strongly advising people in Wales not to travel to other parts of the UK with lower levels of coronavirus” to help control the spread of the virus.
The travel restrictions will be suspended between December 23 and 27 to allow people to meet members of their Christmas bubble, and then will remain in place until “at least January 2021”, it said.
Announcing the new rules, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “There will be no restrictions on travel within Wales but we need to have some restrictions on travel across the border to those parts of the UK where infection rates are high to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
“We are also advising people in Wales not to travel into those parts of England and Scotland where the infection rate is lower, to help prevent them taking coronavirus with them.
“Coronavirus doesn’t respect borders – we all have a part to play in keeping Wales and the UK safe. Please think carefully about where you are going and what you are doing. This virus thrives wherever we come together with others.
“Taken together with our other measures, these travel restrictions will help to keep us all safe.”
Following the end of Wales’s firebreak lockdown on November 9, the Welsh Government said people should not travel outside the country without a reasonable excuse.
The latest regulations mean some people in Wales will be allowed to visit areas across the border for the first time since September.
Caerphilly was the first area of Wales placed into a local lockdown on September 8, meaning residents could not leave the area without a valid excuse such as for work or education.
A further 16 areas of the country were also placed under local restrictions in the following weeks before the entire country entered the 17-day firebreak.
