Coronavirus in Wales: Updates for 15 June 2020 - BBC News
News and updates on the coronavirus pandemic in Wales.
Plans to reopen shops "carefully" are being considered as part of moves to ease lockdown in Wales, First Minister Mark Drakford has said.

But in Wales all retailers, apart from those deemed essential, such as supermarkets and pharmacies, have been closed since the start of lockdown in March.

The Welsh Government is due to review lockdown restrictions on Friday.

Mr Drakeford said reopening non-essential shops and further relaxing restrictions on outdoors activity are being considered by the Welsh Government.

He said ministers were “looking and learning from the experiences of other countries around the world”, and did not want things to reopen too soon and then have to close again.

Mr Drakeford said that they were making sure businesses were going to be ready to safely open, should the Welsh Government be in "a position" to make such an announcement on Friday.

“In many countries where cafes have reopened they are opening outside only because the virus doesn’t survive for as long outdoors as it does indoors,” he said.

But other countries have reintroduced restrictions “because lockdown has led to cases of increasing”.

Mr Drakeford added that it would not mean a return to the pre-pandemic normal.

“While the virus has receded and fewer people are becoming ill, coronavirus has not gone away – it continues to be present in Wales and there is still a risk we will face a second wave of illness later in the year,” he said.