23 april – jersey takes steps to reopen tourism by introducing a traffic lights system for different countries depending on their covid status, and adds wales (with the exception of newport) to the green list, meaning travel between the two countries is now permitted without the need for quarantine. 24 april – six people from six separate households are allowed to meet up outdoors in a further easing of covid rules. 26 april – pubs, restaurants and cafes are reopened, allowing up to six people to meet in an outdoor hospitality setting. zoos, theme parks and other outdoor attractions are also reopened, while wedding and funeral receptions can have up to 30 attendees in an outdoor setting. 27 april – the latest figures from the office for national statistics show that over half of the council areas in wales had no covid related deaths in the week up to 16 april, with 14 deaths occurring in wales during that week. the royal college of radiologists (rcr) warns of a shortage of radiologists in wales that could put patients at risk and make it "extremely difficult" to reduce waiting lists that have built up over the pandemic. 29 april – a total of 68 cases of covid have now been confirmed at a cupcake factory in bala. 30 april – as the may bank holiday weekend approaches, south wales police step up patrols in areas that saw breaches of covid rules over the easter weekend. may 2021 3 may – gyms, swimming pools and community centres reopen, while three households can meet up indoors when a member of one of those households lives alone. staff at the critical care unit of the university hospital of wales in cardiff are creating a woodland to offset the carbon emissions and waste generated from the machines needed to treat covid patients. a study carried out by swansea university warns that disposable face masks could be releasing chemical pollutants such as metals and nano-plastics into the environment, and urges better regulations and more research into the matter. 5 may – figures from nhs wales show hospital admissions to be at their lowest since the start of the pandemic, with an average of 227 people in hospital during the preceding week. 7 may – denbighshire has the lowest rate of covid cases on the uk mainland after no infections were recorded in the seven days up to 1 may. 8 may – after welsh labour wins the 2021 senedd election, first minister mark drakeford attributes the party's success to its handling of the covid crisis. 11 may – first minister mark drakeford confirms that up to six people from six separate households will be able to meet up indoors in pubs, cafes and restaurants from monday 17 may. extra financial support for hospitality sector companies affected by the covid crisis is also announced. the welsh government announces a pilot scheme to trial the return of large public gatherings, with a list of sporting events and music concerts earmarked for public attendance. the first gathering will be an eid celebration at cardiff castle scheduled to take place at the end of the muslim holy month of ramadan. 12 may – cwm taf morgannwg health board confirms it has had no covid patients in its critical care units for at least three weeks, and no admissions to hospital for two weeks; the area was one of the worst hit at the height of the pandemic. 13 may – following the senedd election, eluned morgan is appointed as health minister, replacing vaughan gething. figures show that 36.6% of people aged under 30 in wales have received a first covid jab, with that number rising to almost half in some areas. the bbc reports that people in wales will be urged to continue to travel abroad only for "essential reasons" for a further three weeks after 17 may. 14 may – dr phil banfield, of bma wales, has claimed doctors in wales have faced bullying and disciplinary action for raising concerns about covid safety in hospitals. 15 may – several hundred people attend the welsh language tafwyl music festival at cardiff castle, the second of nine pilot events trialling the gathering of large crowds. 16 may – the number of people to receive their first covid vaccine in wales passes two million, with figures published by public health wales showing that 2,019,160 people (64% of the population) have had their first dose, while 915,674 (29%) have received their second. 17 may – indoor hospitality is reopened in the latest easing of restrictions, with pubs and restaurants allowed to serve drinks, while galleries and museums are also reopened. new health minister eluned morgan says that targeted vaccination has not been ruled out as a way of tackling the spread of indian variant covid. 18 may – public health wales warns people "not to become complacent" after the number of indian variant covid cases more than doubles in a week to 25. first minister mark drakeford says it is likely wales will begin vaccinating children later in the year, with children as young as 12 being offered the covid vaccine. 19 may – wales records a day without any covid related deaths, with figures from public health wales showing only one death in which covid was mentioned during the preceding week. collectively, 5,560 people have died within 28 days of testing positive for covid in wales since the beginning of the pandemic. in response to comments made by first minister mark drakeford the previous day, the world health organization urges wales to consider donating vaccines to poorer countries before vaccinating children. the indian covid variant could be 50% more transmissible than a strain identified in the uk in 2020, first minister mark drakeford has said. 20 may – swansea bay university health board warns people to keep socially distancing and get vaccinated as the number of cases of indian variant covid in wales rises to 28. office for national statistics figures show that covid was the 18th most common cause of death in wales during april, with 35 deaths recorded. 21 may – figures published by action fraud indicate that reports of fraud in wales have risen by 25% since the start of the pandemic. 23 may – the number of people to receive both covid vaccines passes a million, with figures from public health wales showing 1,000,706 have had their second vaccine. the figure equates to a third of the population. 24 may – the rules regarding care home visits are changed, permitting anyone to visit, although residents are still only allowed to have two visitors at a time. chief medical officer dr frank atherton says people "should be worried" about a resurgence of covid cases after the number of cases of indian variant covid increase to "around 57". swim wales, the governing body for swimming in wales, says there are "grave concerns" for the future of public swimming pools in wales because of the financial impact of the covid-19 pandemic, with one in ten – roughly 30 pools – facing closure. 26 may – first minister mark drakeford urges people coming to wales for holidays to pack lateral flow test kits if they are from areas of england with high rates of indian variant covid. following an inspection of eight vaccination centres, health inspectorate wales has said they provide a "safe and efficient" environment for the rollout of the vaccine. 27 may – the welsh government confirms that live music events can return with immediate effect, but for live performances rather than nightclubs. venues will need to undergo a safety assessment in line with hospitality and performing guidance. a public health wales report highlights the disproportionate effect of the covid pandemic on those aged 16–24, who are more likely to be employed in sectors that were forced to close during the crisis. 28 may – people in areas of north wales are urged to be cautious following the discovery of a cluster of cases of indian variant covid. 29 may – a university college london study finds that the number of people in wales sticking rigidly to covid rules has dropped by a third, a trend attributed to mixed messages causing confusion. 30 may – health minister eluned morgan says it is going to be "very difficult to hold the waters back" of indian variant covid from coming over the border into wales from england. 31 may – after a bbc investigation reveals that child protection orders in wales have fallen by 20% during the pandemic, social workers express concern that a generation of children have been left "traumatised" and are being overlooked, and they claim the figures paint an untrue picture. june 2021 1 june – wales's test, trace, protect scheme is extended to march 2022 to help tackle new variants of the virus. 2 june – health minister eluned morgan describes a cluster of indian variant covid in conwy county as "very serious" and suggests it could delay the easing of restrictions across wales. morgan announces £25m investment to upgrade nhs diagnostics equipment to help deal with the backlog of people waiting for scans. 3 june – the welsh government announces that groups of up to 30 can meet outdoors from monday 7 june and outdoor events can restart, while extended households can expand to include a third from the same day. 4 june – the welsh retail consortium has warned that lower retail footfall since shops reopened in wales has left the sector facing a "precarious picture". first minister mark drakeford warns social distancing measures could remain in wales for the rest of 2021. 6 june – health minister eluned morgan suggests a third wave of covid infections is inevitable and "the question is how big will this wave be". figures from public health wales indicate there have been no covid related deaths in wales for the past ten days. 7 june – the welsh government confirms that all adults in wales will have been offered their first vaccine by monday 14 june. no covid deaths are recorded in wales for a 12th successive day. hywel williams, member of parliament for arfon, urges transport for wales and the welsh government to urgently review covid travel safety policy after images of overcrowded trains were posted on social media over the preceding weekend, as people headed for the coast during hot weather. 8 june – health chiefs express concern about the rising number of cases of indian variant covid as rules are relaxed. 10 june – volunteers in wrexham are given a third dose of covid vaccine as part of a uk-wide trial to determine the effectiveness of a booster jab. 13 june – leading economist professor gerald holtham says that education should not be the "punchbag" that takes a financial hit as wales recovers from the covid crisis. 14 june – figures from public health wales indicate the indian variant covid to be the most dominant in wales, with 315 cases reported so far. the welsh government confirms that all adults in wales have been offered their first covid vaccination, an achievement several weeks ahead of the uk national target. 15 june – denbighshire council blames the increase in instances of indian variant covid on teenagers gathering together. 17 june – dr andrew goodall, chief executive of nhs wales, says the health service is under "substantial pressure" with 600,000 people on hospital waiting lists. wales reports 140 new cases of covid but no deaths related to the illness. bbc news reports that no significant changes in covid restrictions are likely for wales until july because of concerns about the indian variant. the rules regarding numbers at wedding and funeral gatherings will be relaxed though from monday 21 june, with the numbers allowed dependent on a specific venue. 18 june – first minister mark drakeford confirms the lifting of covid restrictions in wales will be postponed for four weeks, and warns the country is at the start of a third wave of covid. during the four weeks a further 500,000 vaccinations are planned, mostly second doses. 19 june – the welsh government announces that congregations will be allowed to sing in churches and other places of worship providing they wear masks while doing so. chanting and the