Can I travel to and from my second home during the lockdown?

 

From Friday 23 October, at 6pm, travel in Wales without a reasonable excuse is an offence. Travelling into, out of or within Wales to visit, check or inspect a holiday home or stay in a second home is not a reasonable excuse. 

 

The same rules apply to caravans, boats and other temporary accommodation.

 

Caravan owners will need to make arrangements with the site owners to winterise their caravans after the circuit breaker lockdown period has ended.

 

Can I leave home to exercise?

 

Yes. Exercise is important for physical and mental health, and you can leave home as often as you like to exercise as long as you do so from home and alone or with members of your household (and/or a carer).

 

What kind of exercise is permitted?

 

There are no legal limits on this, but in practice this is constrained by other restrictions that have been imposed such as the closure of leisure centres, gyms and swimming pools. As one of the purposes of the restrictions is to reduce pressure on the Welsh NHS, we also ask people to avoid activities that involve a significant degree of risk (for example swimming or other exercise at sea, or in lakes, rivers or other waterways).

 

“people must stay at home, except for very limited purposes

people must not visit other households or meet other people they do not live with

certain businesses and venues, including bars, restaurants and most shops must close”

 

When can I leave home?

 

You should only be outside of your home for very limited reasons, which include:

 

the need to obtain supplies and services for you or your household, for example food, medicine, and essential household maintenance. We encourage everyone to make this as infrequently as possible

to exercise, alone or with members of your household. We encourage this to be done locally.

to access childcare and education

to access medical services or other public services

to deposit and withdraw money from a bank or similar establishment

to provide care for or to help a vulnerable person; this includes getting food or medicines for them

to help the NHS by donating blood

for work purposes, or voluntary or charitable purposes, but only where it is not reasonably practicable to do this from home

to visit a cemetery, burial ground or garden of remembrance to pay your respects

to attend a wedding, civil partnership or funeral if you are invited

to attend court or meet other legal obligations

to escape a risk of illness or injury, such as for victims or people at risk of domestic abuse

to access services provided to victims of crime or domestic abuse or those at imminent risk of becoming victims

 

Can I exercise by going fishing or horse riding?

 

This is not specifically prohibited. However, you should not be driving to get to somewhere to exercise, and the need to carry sports equipment isn’t regarded as a justification on its own for driving in these circumstances. This will mean in practice most people cannot do these things for the short period of the lockdown.

 

Can I drive somewhere to exercise?

 

Exercise should be undertaken locally – from home or as close as possible to the home.  In general this should not involve people driving to a location away from home for this purpose.  No journeys of any significant distance should be taken, for example, just in order to exercise in the countryside or at beauty spots.

 

Are there travel restrictions in place in Wales?

 

Yes. Travel is limited to essential travel only, for example, for caring responsibilities or for work purposes where people cannot work from home.

 

Gyda diolch,

 

Barry

 

Swyddog Morwrol

Maritime Officer