Large outdoor events for up to 10,000 people to resume in Wales

Outdoor events with up to 10,000 people will be able to resume in Wales from Monday as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions are further eased.

Groups of up to 30 people can meet outdoors, including in private gardens, while up to three households will be able to meet indoors as the country moves to alert level one.

Larger organised events, such as concerts, football matches and sporting activities, will resume for up to 4,000 people standing and 10,000 people seated.

The phased relaxing of coronavirus measures will be reviewed ahead of June 21 to determine whether indoor events can restart.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the emergence of the Indian variant, also known as the Delta variant, showed the pandemic was “not yet over” and that steps must continue to be taken to reduce transmission.

He said: “The risk of infection is significantly less outdoors than it is indoors. This is why we are phasing in the changes in this three-week cycle.

“This will allow more people to enjoy events outdoors and take advantage of the Welsh summer, while we continue to roll out the vaccination programme to all adults.”

Should cases remain low, more people will be allowed to attend outdoor and indoor events, the rule of six for meeting indoors in private homes will return, and ice rinks will reopen, the Welsh Government said.

Organisers planning events from Monday must undertake a full risk assessment and put in place measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The seven-day coronavirus case rate remains “very low” in Wales, while more than 85% of the population has had one dose of the vaccine and 45% has had both, the Government said.

However, there are some 97 cases of the Indian variant in the country, including a cluster in Conwy, north west Wales.