First Minister Mark Drakeford has today announced a number of significant plans to ease to lockdown measures in Wales.
Speaking at the 21-day lockdown review briefing this afternoon, he gave the all clear for the indoor hospitality industry to reopen from Monday (August 3) and made allowances for larger groups to meet up outdoors.
Further easements will also allow gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres to reopen from the second week of August.
Meanwhile, the third week of this review period is subject to cases continuing to fall, he said.
Should this continue, people in Wales from different households may be able to meet indoors, he said.
See live updates from the First Minister's press conference here.
"I want to start by saying we have only been able to lift the restrictions because of everything you have done to reduce the spread of coronavirus – you have stayed at home; you have stayed local and you have kept Wales safe," he said.
But he warned that the virus has not gone away, and the pandemic "will not be over by Christmas".
The First Minister said the Welsh Government will continue to explore whether changes can be made to the rules on meeting people indoors from August 15.
"I would like to be able to offer more chances for family and friends to meet indoors.
"But this is one of the most difficult areas from a public health perspective because as people have more contact with each other indoors, the risk of transmission increases."
He said more than half of the cases contract tracers identified in July in North Wales were linked to household contacts.
"Today, we have seen indoor meetings curtailed in Greater Manchester, east Lancashire and parts of West Yorkshire following a spike in coronavirus cases," he said.
"All of this is bound to give us pause for thought."
