PEMBROKESHIRE County Council says it is working closely with businesses that form part of the visitor economy in the county to keep communities safe as lockdown restrictions continue to be eased.

The council has written to accommodation providers to ensure Welsh Government rules are followed and safety measures are robust to keep local residents, business operators and visitors as safe as possible.

The Welsh Government's 'stay local' five mile guide was lifted today (Monday) and, subject to review on Thursday, July 9, entirely self-contained accommodation will re-open on Saturday, July 11.

To reopen the accommodation must be 'entirely self-contained', which means each unit of accommodation must have its own kitchen and bathroom that no other guests use.

This includes holiday cottages, holiday caravans including touring caravans, motorhomes, boats and some glamping accommodation.

Hotels and other serviced accommodation such as B&Bs that provide en-suite rooms and can provide room-service meals are also permitted.

Caravan and touring sites where individual accommodation has its own supply of water for on board shower, WC and cooking are permitted to re-open but shared facilities such as swimming pools, shared shower and toilet blocks etc will remain closed.

However, the definition of self-contained holiday accommodation does not include tents.

Therefore sites planning to open on July 11 cannot take bookings from campers wishing to pitch a tent or any other unit which does not have its own supply of water for on-board shower, WC and cooking.

This requirement is not overcome by travellers using portable toilets, travel shower systems and camping stoves etc.

The letter outlines steps for holiday accommodation to follow for everyone's safety.

Caravan and touring sites will need to ensure the strict application of industry guidance on shared waste and disposal and water points.

Pre-booking is encouraged in order that names and contact telephone numbers can be obtained to assist with the NHS Wales Test, Trace and Protect scheme.

Visitors should be reminded of local and national Covid-19 restrictions and how to conduct themselves during their visit.

Businesses must ensure that the risk assessment addresses the risks of Covid-19.

Guidance for accommodation providers to follow is at gov.wales/tourism-and-hospitality-businesses-guidance-phased-reopening-html

The council is encouraging all tourism and hospitality businesses to sign up to the 'Good to Go' scheme.

It is directly linked to national and sector specific health and safety guidelines and aims to give confidence of high standards of compliance and hygiene in tourism establishments. See https://goodtogo.visitbritain.com/

Pembrokeshire County Council's Lead Licensing Officer Charlotte Mathias, said: "There has been a high standard of compliance by businesses to date and we envisage that this level of compliance will continue.

"However, enforcement teams will where necessary respond to intelligence and carry out proactive visits to ensure that the Welsh Government guidelines are followed in order to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the locality and to give confidence to visitors and the communities."