Higher-level restrictions came into force at midnight last night (Saturday 19 December 2020) to control rapidly accelerating coronavirus rates across Wales.

Wales has moved into alert level 4, which had been planned for after Christmas, but it has been brought forward based on new information about the virus.

What is alert “Level 4”?

Alert level 4 means that:

people must stay at home, except for very limited purposes
people must not visit other households, or meet other people they do not live with
many types of businesses are required to close

What does alert level 4 mean for Christmas?

You can still see your Christmas bubble on Christmas Day only. Holiday accommodation will no longer be allowed to open.

How long will these measures stay in place?

The national measures will be reviewed at least every three weeks.

When can I leave home?

You should only be outside of your home for very limited reasons, which include:

the need to obtain supplies and services for you or your household, for example food, medicine, and essential household maintenance. We encourage everyone to make this as infrequently as possible
to exercise, alone or with members of your household or support bubble. We encourage this to be done locally.
to access childcare and education
to access medical services
to access public services
to deposit and withdraw money from a bank or similar establishment
to provide care for or to help a vulnerable person; this includes getting food or medicines for them
to help the NHS by donating blood
for work purposes, or voluntary or charitable purposes, but only where it is not reasonably practicable to do this from home
to visit a cemetery, burial ground or garden of remembrance to pay your respects
to attend a place of worship
to attend a wedding, civil partnership or funeral if you are invited
to attend court or meet other legal obligations, or to vote
to escape a risk of illness or injury, such as for victims or people at risk of domestic abuse
to access services provided to victims of crime or domestic abuse or those at imminent risk of becoming victims

Whenever you leave home, you should try to minimise time spent outside of the home, and ensure you stay at least 2 metres away from anyone you don’t live with or are in a permitted support bubble with.

Can I meet up with another household?

For most households the answer will be no, you must not meet up with anyone you do not live with, except in very limited circumstances such as providing or receiving care.

If you are an adult living alone or are in a household with a single responsible adult, you can form a support bubble with one other household. This will allow you to spend time with the people in that household as if you lived with them.

Can friends or family from another household come into my home?

No, except in some very limited circumstances – see answer above.

Are the rules on who I can meet different indoors and outdoors?

No. Under alert level 4 restrictions, people must reduce all physical contact between households to an absolute minimum, so as to do as much as we can to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Can I meet up with someone if one or both of us have had the coronavirus vaccine?

No – the rules are the same for people who have had the vaccine as for everyone else.

Can I meet up with someone if I’ve just been tested and I didn’t have coronavirus?

No – the rules are the same for you as for everyone else. Even if you do not currently have coronavirus, you are at risk of catching it from other people and then passing it on to others.

Can I form an extended household?

No, you cannot form an extended household at alert level 4. The only exception to this is if you are an adult living alone or are in a household with a single responsible adult, you can form a support bubble with one other household.

I share parental responsibility for a child with someone I don’t live with – can I still see them?

Where parental responsibility is shared, existing arrangements can continue and the child can move between both parents, and therefore between both parents’ households (and support bubbles where relevant).

The Welsh Government has created a list of frequently asked questions, which can be accessed here.