playing of musical instruments is also permitted again. 20 june – it is reported a document produced by the welsh government's technical advisory group of scientists has suggested that 80% of the population will either need to have been vaccinated or infected with covid to stop ongoing transmission. 21 june – the rules for comedy clubs and music venues are brought into line with those for the hospitality sector, allowing groups of six people to attend performances. numbers at wedding and funeral receptions are also relaxed, with the number of attendees dependent on the venue. as schools across wales begin awarding provisional exam grades there are concerns some pupils will be left in "limbo" for several weeks while they wait for the grades to be confirmed. university offers will also not be made until after 10 august, the day a level grades are officially confirmed. 22 june – first minister mark drakeford says that people in wales will be able to access digital vaccination certificates in the next few days. 25 june – wales becomes the first of the home nations to fully vaccinate more than 50% of its population, with 1,591,322 people (or 50.5%) receiving both injections. first minister mark drakeford says that measures such as wearing face coverings may change from being legal requirements to advice once all adults have been vaccinated. 28 june – education minister jeremy miles tells a press conference he wants to minimise the number of schoolchildren in wales who are required to self-isolate. 30 june – teaching staff and unions urge the welsh government to provide clarity for 2022's school examinations following a fraught process for 2021 assessments. patients with long covid have called for better access to treatment, such as specialist clinics for the condition. july 2021 1 july – the welsh conservatives have called for the welsh government to announce plans to end covid restrictions in wales and to stop "treating the welsh people like children". 2 july – calls are made for volunteers who took part in trials of the novavax vaccine to be given a second vaccine. 3 july – rugby union returns to cardiff's principality stadium with a match between wales and canada. spectators are advised that no food or drink is permitted at the venue. walk in vaccination centres are opened across wales. 5 july – a change to covid regulations allows hospital boards the option of introducing covid tests, thus permitting patients to have more visitors. figures released under a freedom of information request indicate that a quarter of deaths from covid in wales occurred after the person was infected in hospital. as the uk government prepares to announce the final stage of its roadmap for lifting restrictions in wales, health minister eluned morgan says wales will have to "learn to live with" the virus. 8 july – figures from public health wales indicate that covid cases linked to schools have risen by a third in a week, making up almost a fifth of new cases. dr david bailey, chair of british medical association wales has called for face masks to remain compulsory in a healthcare setting. 9 july ~ dr deidre hine, the former chief medical officer for wales, says that it is difficult to see how wales cannot set a freedom day for lifting covid restrictions now that england and scotland have done so. dr gill richardson, myles is deputy chief medical officer, urges family and friends of those aged under 30 to get vaccinated. the welsh government announces that the wearing of facemasks will no longer be mandatory in schools from september. the welsh government says that people in wales should continue to use the nhs covid-19 app, even if social distancing rules differ from those in england. 10 july – as england prepared to change the quarantine rules for fully vaccinated people arriving from certain countries, representatives of the travel sector in wales urge the welsh government to change their own rules to bring them into line with england. 11 july- the welsh government says that the wearing of facemasks will continue to be required by law in some settings, even after changes to restrictions on 19 july that will see the relaxation of rules for the wearing of face masks and social distancing. dr john watkins, a leading expert on infectious diseases, says that it is time for wales to lift covid restrictions. 13 july – ahead of the planned review of covid restrictions the following day, first minister mark drakeford says there will not be a wholesale scrapping of rules. passengers on transport for wales trains travelling to england will be asked to continue wearing their face coverings once across the border, even though they will not be compulsory in england after 19 july. 14 july – the welsh government announces that most covid restrictions will be lifted on 7 august. the rules regarding the numbers of people allowed to meet up indoors and outdoors will be scrapped, but face coverings will still be required in most indoor settings, including pubs, restaurants and schools. as the welsh government its plans to lift most restrictions in august, they also announce their hope that full capacity crowds may be able to return to stadiums in time for the start of the football season in august 16 july – first minister mark drakeford says that people travelling from england into wales by train will be asked to wear a face covering. mind cymru calls for urgent action to ensure mental health services do not suffer post-covid. the tuc has argued welsh workers are being put at risk because of a lack of capacity to enforce covid assessments. 16 july – the green man festival, one of the largest in wales, is given the go-ahead to be staged from 19 to 22 august. but the ironman wales triathlon scheduled for 12 september is cancelled for a second year because of covid. 17 july – covid rules are relaxed to allow up to six people to meet up in an indoor private setting, while the number of people allowed to meet up outdoors increases. indoor organised events involving up to 1,200 people are also permitted, with 1,000 seated and 200 standing. 18 july – it is reported the welsh government is considering whether to change self-isolation rules for those aged under 18 so that they would not need to self-isolate if they came into close contact with someone testing positive for covid. 21 july – the welsh government announces that nhs workers in wales will get a 3% payrise. health minister eluned morgan says the delivery of urgent care will be "transformed" to help the health service in wales during an "exceptionally challenging period". 22 july – as figures show that 11,417 people were "pinged" by the nhs covid-19 app in the week of 8–15 july, the welsh government reiterates its intention to end the requirement for fully vaccinated people to self-isolate if they come into close contact with someone testing positive for covid from some time during august. 23 july – the national union of students wales highlights the situation of overseas students from red list countries who will be required to pay £1,750 to quarantine in a hotel upon their arrival in wales, something they describe as "unacceptable". some universities have offered to pay the quarantine fees, and the welsh government has urged anyone affected by the situation to ask for assistance from their university. 24 july – several hundred anti-lockdown protestors gather outside the cardiff home of first minister mark drakeford. the rally is subsequently condemned from across the political parties in wales. 26 july – the number of fully vaccinated people in wales passes two million. 27 july – south wales police have said that "at no point" was first minister mark drakeford at risk from demonstrators who gathered outside his home over the preceding weekend. chief medical officer dr frank atherton says that based on current evidence he does not believe he will need to ask clinically vulnerable people to shield again. 29 july – the welsh government announces that fully vaccinated people who are close contacts of someone testing positive for covid will no longer be required to self-isolate from saturday 7 august. under 18s will also be exempt. the number of daily covid cases for wales falls for an eighth consecutive day. 30 july – unions have warned that changes to the furlough scheme due to come in on 1 august could put businesses still recovering from the covid crisis at risk. from that date they will be required to pay more towards their employees' wages. the latest figures have shown that some 70,000 people in wales are still on the coronavirus job retention scheme. august 2021 1 august – organisers of the national eisteddfod express hope that the welsh language cultural festival will be able to take place in person in 2022, the 2020 and 2021 events having been held remotely. 2 august – cardiff's ice arena wales, one of two ice rinks in wales, reopens following the lifting of restrictions. although ice rinks were given the go-ahead to reopen on 17 july, work on the venue has meant it could not reopen immediately. wales's other ice rink, at deeside leisure centre, remains closed as it is being used as a covid vaccination centre. 5 august – the welsh government confirms that the majority of wales's covid restrictions will be lifted on saturday 7 august. this will mean an end to rules on the numbers of people who can meet indoors, the reopening of nightclubs, and social distancing laws for workplaces will end. but the wearing of masks will remain compulsory. wales announces the adoption of travel international travel changes in line with those announced for england the previous day, and that will take effect from sunday 8 august. health minister eluned morgan suggests 16 and 17-year-olds may be offered covid vaccines before the beginning of the autumn term. 7 august – with some exceptions, such as compulsory mask wearing in certain settings, most remaining pandemic related restrictions conclude in wales. grants for people on low pay and living in wales who are asked to self-isolate rise from £500 to £750. 11 august – on the eve of the publication of gcse results for england, wales and northern ireland, david jones, the chief executive of qualifications wales, says that exams "definitely have their place" in assessing pupils in future. 13 august – a bbc news report highlights issues with overcrowded trains with some people refusing to wear face masks, which are still mandatory in wales. 15 august – the latest figures show that 67% of adults in wales have been fully vaccinated, but that around 120,000 adults aged 18–29 are yet to receive their first covid vaccine. 16 august – lynn gornall, organiser of brecon jazz festival, which is taking place throughout august, defends the decision to hold a scaled-back event for 2021 following criticism, attributing the decision to the festival's public location and people's desire to not have something so big because of covid. 17 august – office for national statistics figures show 22 covid deaths in the week ending 6 august, a rise of nine on the previous week. 18 august – health minister eluned morgan announces £551m of extra funding for health and social care in wales to help with the post-covid recovery and tackle the waiting list backlog. 19 august – more than 50 positive covid cases are linked to a year eleven graduation party at a monmouthshire hotel, where the manager believed the attendees had passed a lateral flow test. anna-louise rees-marsh, of covid bereaved families for justice cymru, calls for a public inquiry into the welsh government's handling of the pandemic, one separate from that planned by the uk government. the driver and vehicle licensing agency (dvla) has apologised for a ten-week delay experienced by motorists wishing to renew their driving licenses which has been caused by industrial action over covid safety at the agency. figures have shown that hospital waiting lists in wales have continued to grow, with 624,909 people waiting for treatment at the end of june. 20 august – a total of 56 covid cases in the swansea bay health board area are linked to the