Wetherspoons says its pubs in Wales will not reopen on July 13th
Wetherspoons has said it will not reopen any of its Welsh pubs on July 13, after the Welsh Government said pubs in Wales could reopen but only for outdoor service.
A spokesman for the pub chain said the business would only reopen its pubs in Wales "when they can fully do so."
He added: “We will not be opening beer gardens in advance. We look forward to reopening our pubs when the Welsh government gives us the go ahead to do so.”
The Welsh Government announced on Thursday morning that pubs, cafes and restaurants in Wales can reopen outdoors from July 13, provided coronavirus cases continue to fall.
However in England, pubs, cafes and restaurants can reopen from July 4 and provide indoor service.
Wetherspoons, which operates 875 pubs across the UK, subsequently announced it would reopen all of its pubs in England.
There has been some criticism of the different approaches to easing lockdown adopted by the UK and Welsh governments, with one pub landlord on the Wales England border saying it has caused "confusion" amongst customers.
The TUC has welcomed the Welsh Government's "cautious approach" to reopening the hospitality sector, but says it still has concerns over workers' health and safety
TUC General Secretary Shavanah Taj said: "Our position remains clear – workers’ health and safety is paramount. A worker’s health cannot be put above a company’s profits. We need to do all we can to keep this sector alive and to keep jobs secure, particularly in light of the rise in the number of redundancies being announced in the wider hospitality sector.
"We will continue to work in social partnership with Welsh Government, employers and industry to keep people safe at work. We need to ensure that all health and safety measures are properly adhered to and enforced, through Covid-19 health and safety workplace assessments.”