CORONAVIRUS safety rules in shops and other businesses will be ramped up in Wales over concerns surrounding the spread of a "highly contagious" strain of Covid-19.

Regulations for "key retailers" will be tightened to make sure businesses like supermarkets are following basic public health measures – such as providing hand sanitisers for customers, limiting numbers of people inside stores, and making regular announcements asking people to keep their distance. 

"We will strengthen regulations to ensure retailers take these steps, so that their premises are as safe as possible for shoppers and their employees alike," first minister Mark Drakeford said ahead of Friday's press conference. "Many are already operating high standards and we need to raise the bar for those who could and should improve."

Retail has been identified as one of the three areas in Wales that needs renewed attention, following evidence a new strain of Covid-19 – first identified in the UK last autumn – is spreading rapidly across the country.

"The highly contagious new strain of the virus means we have had to look again at the rules regulating workplaces and premises that remain open to the public," the Welsh Government said.

This week, we asked readers for their thoughts on the current situation in supermarkets – many told us they wanted the rules to be better-enforced.

READ MORE: What you said: Do we need tighter Covid rules in our supermarkets?

But Mr Drakeford said the tighter rules for businesses should not distract from people's "personal responsibility to help make shops as safe as possible".

He said: "We all need to shop alone if we can, observe the two-metre rule, practise good hand hygiene and wear a face covering unless exempt.

"Any abuse directed at store employees who remind people of their responsibilities will not be tolerated.”

New Welsh Government legislation will also make it compulsory for businesses in Wales to complete a specific coronavirus risk assessment, with measures to minimise staff and customer exposure to the virus.

Areas such as hygiene, physical distancing, use of PPE, and adequate ventilation will be covered by the risk assessment – as well as considerations over maximising the number of employees who can work from home.

All businesses employing five or more people will have to complete the paperwork.

Mr Drakeford said the risk assessments must be reviewed and updated regularly "whenever circumstances change" and, by law, whenever the coronavirus alert level changes in Wales.