Face masks no longer legally required in many indoor places in Wales

The legal requirement to wear a face mask in many indoor public places in Wales has come to an end.

As of Monday (February 28), people will no longer be legally required to wear face masks in a range of indoor places, including gyms, cinemas, theatres, community centres, and museums.

But face masks will continue to be a legal requirement for adults and children aged 11 and over in all retail settings, on public transport and in health and care settings.

Schools will be allowed to set their own rules based on local authority guidelines, meaning requirements for pupils to wear face coverings in a classroom setting may differ across Wales.

The Welsh Government said that if public health conditions continue to improve, the remaining legal requirements on face masks could be lifted by the end of March.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “We have worked hard to make sure the protections we have in place are proportionate to the public health situation and the risk of coronavirus.

“Thanks to everyone’s hard work and all their sacrifices, cases of coronavirus are falling across Wales. Now is the right time to relax the general requirement to wear a face covering in many indoor public places.

“But we will keep the legal requirement in place in retail, public transport and health and social care, which are widely used and essential sectors.

“This is part of our cautious and careful response to the pandemic. We will continue to consider the latest scientific and medical evidence to inform our approach.

“Later this week I will be setting our longer term plans to manage the pandemic, as we carry out the regular three-week review of the regulations.”

The outcome of the next review of Covid regulations will be announced on 4 March, when all the remaining measures at alert level zero will be reviewed.