Alert level zero: Some services to be reintroduced in phases across Bridgend County Borough

Work has started on the reintroduction of several services and facilities that were previously inaccessible due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bridgend County Borough Council has confirmed that services will be being re-introduced in a phased return following the recent announcement from Welsh Government that the country will ease back into alert level zero on 7 August.

On a national level, the changes will mean that anyone who has symptoms of Covid-19 or who receives a positive test result will need to continue to isolate for 10 days.

There will be no legal limits on the number of people who can meet in private homes, public places or at events, and businesses such as nightclubs which were previously required to close will be able to re-open.

Face coverings will still be required on public transport, in shops, in healthcare settings and in most indoor public places, buts masks will not be necessary in hospitality settings serving food and drink.

All those responsible for premises open to the public and work places will need to carry out Covid-19 risk assessments and continue to take reasonable measures to minimise the risk of exposure, but will have greater flexibility on how they implement this.

Adults who are fully vaccinated and children under 18 will no longer need to isolate if they are identified as close contacts of someone who has coronavirus.

However, the council is also reminding people that the pandemic is still ongoing, and it remains vitally important to do all that you can to limit the potential for exposure to Covid-19.

Announcing the changes, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “Alert level zero does not mean the end of restrictions and a free-for-all, but it does mean we can all enjoy more freedoms with the confidence there are still important protections in place to make sure our public health is being safeguarded while we are out and about.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic is not over yet and we all need to work together to do everything we can to keep this virus under control – at alert level zero, everything we do will have an impact on this virus.”

In Bridgend County Borough, some services will be reinstated immediately, while others will see pandemic restrictions lifted in phases in order to enable checks and other important work to be completed. While the council has already carried out as much of this work as possible in the weeks building up to the announcement, for certain tasks it has been necessary to wait and carry them out now.

For example, we have to ensure that water systems which have not been used over the course of the pandemic are safe to use and are not about to spread legionnaire’s disease, but for obvious reasons, those tests have to be current rather than historic.

Every effort is being made to complete this as quickly as possible, and to help ensure that services and facilities can return to normal and be used safely by local people.

Council Leader Huw David

At Coychurch Crematorium, funerals and cremations will return to normal on Saturday with no limit on the number of people who can attend services, but face coverings will still be required indoors. Once the chapel pews are full, the cloister area will be used for standing room, and people will be able to gather outside.

Staff will continue to open windows and doors to ensure that air can circulate, and singing will be permitted in the chapel as long as masks are also worn, but hymn books will not be in use until further notice.

Restrictions will also be lifted at council-maintained cemeteries where there will be no limit on the number of people who can attend funerals and burials.

While weekly kerbside collections for recycling and waste are continuing as normal, the council’s waste partners Kier have advised that some restrictions may still be necessary at community recycling centres in order to maintain the safety of staff and users of the facilities - more details on this will be announced early next week.

Because of the need to flush out systems, carry out legionella tests and ensure that water storage tanks have been fully chlorinated, sports pavilions and changing rooms will be gradually re-introduced on a rolling basis.

Staff have already started work on this and the first changing rooms to open will be the Bandstand pavilion at Newbridge Fields, Cae Goch, Croft Goch, North Cornelly, Cwm Garw, Lawrence Park and Aberfields.

Further announcements will follow as more venues become available, and local clubs are being kept fully informed.

Halo-run leisure centres and swimming pools throughout the county borough are open, although some restrictions remain in place. You can find out more by visiting the Halo website.

Elsewhere, public transport is running as normal, but face coverings are required. While recent issues where some services have experienced delays or have been cancelled as a result of drivers having to self-isolate are expected to improve, travellers are advised to check on service availability by visiting the NatGroup, First Cymru and Stagecoach websites.

Local markets in Bridgend County Borough are open for business, although face coverings are required within Bridgend Indoor Market. Until 31 August, free car parking will be available for the first three hours at the Rhiw multi-storey in Bridgend and between 12noon-3pm at the John Street short-stay car park in Porthcawl.

The Customer Service Centre at the Civic Offices in Angel Street, Bridgend remains closed to the public. Residents are asked to use the online My Account and Oggie webchat facilities, or to email talktous@bridgend.gov.uk or call 01656 643643.

Children’s playgrounds, Bryngarw Country Park, Maesteg Welfare Park and Griffin Park in Porthcawl are open, as are the council-maintained toilets at Bridgend Bus Station.