The established two-metre social distancing rule has changed on busier bus services in Wales, it has been announced.
In a statement announcing the updated rules which came into place on June 21, the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) said that all front-facing seats on Welsh buses can now be used.
A statement from the CPT said: "This decision, which is likely to only impact a small number of bus services at busy times of day, follows a risk-based examination of a range of factors including safety measures introduced by operators, face covering compliance as well as Covid-19 infection numbers and vaccination rates."
The move comes in response to the increasing demand for travel following the easing of government restrictions.
“As restrictions ease and more people begin to move around places public transport will be busier than we have seen during the pandemic," a CPT spokesperson said.
"On busy routes at busy times this means it may not always be possible to socially distance and some passengers may need to sit next to each other."
Newport Bus, which operates public transport in the city, has since announced that it will be implementing the rule on busier services.
"All forward facing seats except marked are for use again meaning you might need to sit next to someone when busy," a spokeswoman for Newport Bus said, announcing the change which came in on Sunday.
A Welsh Government spokesman added: “It is for bus operators to ensure that they follow government guidelines and advice on Covid 19 to keep passengers safe."
On Monday, Public Health Wales announced that 670 new coronavirus cases had been reported in the previous 48 hours.
The overall infection rate in Wales now stands at 53.1 cases per 100,000 population based on the seven days between June 17 and June 23 , up from 42.3 cases on Sunday.
First Minister Mark Drakeford had previously announced that, if conditions remained favourable, June 21 could see a further easing of Covid rules in Wales which would have allowed a rule of six for meeting inside private homes and holiday accommodation with people outside your extended household. However, these changes will now not happen for at least another three weeks until the next review of Covid rules.
Mr Drakeford also said last weekend that restrictions would be needed "for the foreseeable future" — read more about that here.
