Wales has announced a relaxation of coronavirus restrictions from Saturday, with hopes of lifting most, but not all, legal requirements from 7 August. Announcing “next steps towards a future with fewer Covid rules”, the first minister, Mark Drakeford, set out a longer-term plan for the summer. Wales will move fully into alert level 1 from 17 July. The changes were paused four weeks ago because of the emergence and spread of the Delta variant across the UK and to enable more people to be vaccinated in Wales. If the public health situation allows, it will then move to a newly created alert level 0 on 7 August, though face coverings would still be a legal requirement on public transport, in health and care settings and in all indoor public places, with exceptions for education settings and hospitality, and people should continue to work from home where possible. It means that from 17 July up to six people can meet indoors in private homes and holiday accommodation, and organised indoor events can take place for up to 1,000 seated and up to 200 standing. Ice rinks will reopen. Wales will also take the first step into alert level 0 as the limits on numbers of people who can meet in public places or at events will be removed. Outdoor premises and events will also have greater flexibility around physical distancing. Other changes include new rules for children’s residential activity centres, which groups of up to 30 will be able to visit. There will be a specific requirement for employers to provide comprehensive information on the risks and mitigations identified in the Covid risk assessment with their employees. If Wales moves to level 0 on 7 August, all premises would be able to open and most – but not all – restrictions would be removed and replaced with an ongoing requirement for all organisations and businesses to carry out Covid risk assessments. There would be no legal limit on the number of people who can meet others indoors, including in private homes. Drakeford also confirmed people who have been fully vaccinated in the UK would no longer need to self-isolate if returning from an amber-list country, in line with the position in England and Scotland. Addressing the Senedd, he said Wales was able to ease the restrictions because vaccination was “changing the relationship” with the virus, doing so faster in Wales which, at 73%, has the highest percentage of double-jabbed adults of all the UK nations. But Wales would not “abandon” all measures, Drakeford said. He said the UK government’s decision to remove the self-isolation requirement for double-vaccinated travellers returning from amber-list countries while the virus is in rapid circulation was “very difficult to understand”. But with the vast majority of international travel to and from Wales via England, it was “untenable” for Wales not to do the same. With infection rates in Wales rising overnight to 145 cases in 100,000 people, he said, there was no doubt this was the anticipated third wave. Advice was infection rates would remain “extremely high for at least the rest of the summer”. There was increased risk of new variants, of the virus moving from younger to older people, of long Covid and of increased workplace absence. But vaccination success meant the rising tide of cases had not translated into higher rates of serious illness, hospital admissions and death. “Our assessment in taking all these factors, negative and positive together, we can now proceed to a full level 1 set of regulations,” Drakeford said. Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Conservative group in the Senedd, said: “Welsh Conservatives welcome this long-awaited clarity from Labour ministers, and we are pleased that they have listened to our calls to publish a detailed plan for easing restrictions and restoring freedoms in Wales.”