GYMS and leisure centres in Wales could be allowed to re-open in just over a month's time, it has been announced.

The Welsh Government has updated its Coronavirus Control Plan (also known as a roadmap) and this includes when more businesses will be able to open – including gyms, outdoor attractions, driving lessons and tests.

The new plan shows how all shops are expected to open from April 12 providing the case rates do not go up.

So what is happening?

From Monday, March 22:

• Restriction on the sale of items will be lifted for shops currently open in the first phase of opening non-essential retail.

• Garden centres will be able to reopen.

From Saturday, March 27:

• Stay local requirement lifted. This will see Wales move from alert level four to alert level three.

• Self-contained accommodation opens in the first phased opening of the tourism sector.

• Organised outdoor children’s activities will resume.

• Limited opening of outdoor areas of some historic places and gardens.

• Libraries re-open

The ministers will confirm if these are able to take place next week depending on the conditions.

When is the next review?

The next review is on April 1.

From April 12:

If conditions allow:

• Schools, colleges and other education establishments will be able to fully re-open.

• All shops to open.

• Close contact services to open.

The next review will then be April 22.

In this review, they will consider if the conditions will allow the following to re-open or resume:

• Gyms, leisure and fitness facilities.

• Outdoor attractions.

• Outdoor hospitality.

• Weddings.

• Community centres.

• Organised activities (30 outdoors, 15 indoors).

• Extended households.

So what does this mean for driving lessons and tests?

Nothing specific was mentioned by the Welsh Government in the plan about driving lessons or tests, however, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) put out a tweet that providing the conditions are favourable, from March 29, you will be able to:

• Take a CBT.

• Motorcycle lessons with instructions.

• A bus driving lesson and test (with the exemption of minibuses).

• A tractor test.

And again providing the conditions are favourable, from April 12 you will be able to:

• Car and lorry driving lessons with instructors.

• Lorry lessons and tests.

• Minibus lessons and tests.

• Theory tests.

• Motorcycle tests.

From April 22 (providing conditions are favourable):

• Car driving tests to restart.

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The plan has been updated to take into account of Wales’ fast-moving vaccination programme as well as the emergence of the highly-infectious Kent variant, which is now dominant throughout Wales.

It also takes into account the risk of new, potentially vaccine-resistant variants of coronavirus being imported into Wales from people holidaying and travelling overseas.

The plan also considers how the relaxations may be slowed, paused or reversed in the worst case should the advice and case rates show would be beneficial.

First minister Mark Drakeford said: “The coronavirus pandemic has turned all our lives upside down. Over the last 12 months, everyone in Wales has made sacrifices to help protect themselves and their families and help bring coronavirus under control.

“This is a cruel virus – far too many families have lost loved ones, and unfortunately, we know that many more people will fall seriously ill and sadly will die before the pandemic is over. But the way people and communities have pulled together across Wales, and followed the rules, has undoubtedly saved many more lives.

“We are now entering a critical phase in the pandemic. We can see light at the end of the tunnel as we approach the end of a long and hard second wave, thanks to the amazing efforts of scientists and researchers across the world to develop effective vaccines. Our amazing vaccination programme has made vaccines available to people in the most at-risk groups at incredible speed.

“We will revisit this plan after vaccination has been offered to all eligible adults – currently scheduled for the end of July – when more evidence and data about its impact will be available.

“Just as we are rolling out vaccination, we are facing a very different virus in Wales today. The highly-infectious Kent variant is now dominant in all parts of Wales.

“This means the protective behaviours we have all learned to adopt are even more important than ever – getting tested and isolating when we have symptoms; keeping our distance from others; not mixing indoors; avoiding crowds; washing our hands regularly and wearing face coverings.

“The pandemic is not over – spring and summer give us hope of more freedom, as rates of infection fall and more people are vaccinated.

“But we must be need to careful – we can’t rush the process of relaxing restrictions and risk a resurgence of the virus.”

More than 1.2 million people in Wales have received their first vaccination dose and more than 300,000 have had both doses. The Government aims to have the first nine priority groups of adults vaccinated by mid-April and all eligible adults to have their first dose by the end of July.