That's it from the coronavirus live page for today, thank you for joining us.

Here are the main points:

• Another 16 people have died with coronavirus in Wales

• Wales' stay-at-home rules may end in March
• As many as four people from two different homes will be able to exercise together from Saturday
• Weddings and civil partnerships are to be allowed from next week
• The number of people in hospital with coronavirus has fallen below 1,800 for the first time since early December
• Ministers want to avoid a “stop-start” situation where pubs re-open and then have to close again
• The Welsh government's priority remains getting children back to school

Gyms could still pose a risk of so-called “superspreader events” where many people catch Covid at the same time, according to scientific advice provided to ministers.

Mr Drakeford confirmed the current advice was that gyms should stay shut, particularly given the rise of new, more easily transmitted variants of the virus.

“I certainly don’t anticipate gyms re-opening, certainly not in the next three weeks,” he said.

“But evidence will accumulate over the weeks ahead, as we gradually allow more things to open, whether or not allowing people to get together, with the new Kent variant will allow the virus to come back at a very quick rate.

“If it doesn’t, then the Technical Advisory Cell (of scientific advisers) will revisit its advice, and we will see what’s able to be done.”

Image source, Getty Images

Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price says he is worried about Covid variants, but the “direction of travel is an incredibly positive one".

“The one source of uncertainty, of course, is the effect of these new variants," he said.

"We do have some indication that they have a higher level of transmissibility, and that's what I think is really what is driving the caution, the tone of caution, that we heard today.

“The government's own advisors, as well as the TAC (Technical Advisory Cell) report today, has said relaxing restrictions too early or too quickly will lead to a large number of new cases of hospitalisations and deaths.

“So we have to be careful, because we don't yet know the effect of the new variants that are that are currently dominant in Wales."

Image source, Getty Images

Teachers union the NASUWT has criticised the decision begin reopening schools.

General secretary Dr Patrick Roach warned the “situation on public health and in transmission of the virus remains incredibly fragile and precarious."

He said: “In making the decision to proceed with the phased wider return to school for some pupils, the Welsh Government has not demonstrated that its decisions will not undermine the health and safety of school staff and pupils or undermine efforts to reduce levels of virus transmission in the community.

"Schools, teachers and parents need to have compelling evidence that this will not be the case.

"Unless that evidence is clear, an announcement now for a wider reopening of schools is premature."

However, Tory leader Andrew RT Davies welcomed the move, but is concerned not enough is being done for businesses.

“I welcome the news on education because we know the damage and scarring what's going on the interruption to children and students’ educational pathway," he said.

“What I think is regrettable is that the first minister didn’t open up a few more windows of opportunity for businesses to hang their hats on, so they can know when they could be planning to restock shelves and get staff back into work.

“I think that's an opportunity that’s been missed.”

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister says he’s “keen to learn the lessons” from lifting lockdown restrictions after the first wave of Covid-19.

Mark Drakeford says there were things that “worked well then” but “we can do things better.”

His comments came after he was asked whether more support should be made available for businesses forced to shut for lockdown.

“I know that what businesses in Wales want is not more money from the government - what they want is to be able to open and have a thriving business in the way that they had this time last year.

“I've indicated today that we will be talking with non-essential retail and close personal services that are closed at the moment to see if it's possible for anything to resume in three weeks’ time.

“Last time we opened hairdressers first and then other services of a similar sort - nail bars and so on - followed a couple of weeks later."

But lifting lockdown will not be driven just by figures, Mr Drakeford said.

He told the coronavirus press briefing that he will take "a judgment in the round, informed by the advice of our senior clinicians and scientific advisers".

He said the government would continue to look at benchmarks such as "the number of people (with coronavirus) per 100,000" as well as positivity rates, the R number and the impact of coronavirus on hospitals.

"We will then look at all of that as a package and take advice from those who are responsible for our health service, and who model for us the way coronavirus is spreading in Wales.

"And when we take all of that together, the cabinet will make a judgment on what is possible in three weeks' time."

The Welsh Retail Consortium has welcomed the "glimmer of hope" that shops will soon be able to reopen.

Consortium chief Sara Jones said: "Many retailers have been hit hardest in this third, and hopefully final, lockdown and today we have a glimmer of hope that we will soon be able to reopen our doors to the Welsh public once more.

“So-called non-essential shops are well placed to reopen safely and should be trusted to do so, as they did so successfully at the end of the national lockdown last June and again at the end of the firebreak."

"Retailers have been playing their part to make stores safe, spending many millions of pounds on coronavirus safety measures, including implementing social distancing measures and increased cleaning procedures.

“It’s therefore essential the Welsh Government maintains it commitment to prioritising the re-opening of our high streets, whilst outlining an ongoing economic stimulus package to encourage consumers to start shopping again and providing an immediate statement on business rates relief post March."

Image source, Getty Images

Ministers want to avoid a “stop-start” situation where pubs re-open and then have to close again, Mr Drakeford said.

The first minister held talks with industry figures yesterday, but there is no date set yet for when pubs, bars and restaurants might be able to open their doors.

He said hospitality venues were not likely to reopen for at least another six weeks.

“Of course we listen to, and engage and talk with, the sector but I just have to explain to them, as I do to many other businesses who are of course desperately anxious to resume, that the only way we will succeed in getting them back trading is if we approach the reopening of our economy and our society in a way that is careful, that is step-by-step and allows us always to review the impact of any action we take on the circulation of the virus.

“Too much too soon will simply return us to the very difficult days we saw… before Christmas. The other thing that the hospitality industry said to me yesterday is what they don’t want is stop-start.

“They don’t want to be able to re-open and then find that, because the virus gets a grip again everything has got to close.”

Mr Drakeford said if circulation of the Covid virus continued to decrease, that a "modest resumption" in the tourism industry might be possible.

He said he'd met tourism bosses yesterday and told them "they are not likely to see a reopening at either of the next two, three-week review periods".

Image source, Getty Images

Infections are continuing to fall in Wales, according to the most recent Office for National Statistics survey.

It took throat and nose swab tests from hundreds of households in Wales.

From the results, it can estimate that 24,600 people in Wales had Covid-19 in the week to 12 February, a decrease on the previous survey a week ago.

This is one in 125 people - down from one in 85 people - or 0.81%, down from 1.16% of the population.

The survey is seen as a useful way of looking at the pandemic's progress because although numbers are limited, it picks up people who are asymptomatic.

When broken down into health board areas, the household survey results led to infection estimates ranging from one in 125 people in Aneurin Bevan to one in 185 in Swansea Bay.

But these are based on much smaller sample sizes.

The modelling was based on swab tests from 20,580 people over six weeks from 10,734 households.

Mr Drakeford says the next review of restrictions will be in the week beginning 8 March and - once again - the priority will be on getting children back to school.

He says he thinks he will continue to take “a careful and cautious approach - as we have throughout the pandemic - guided by what the experts tell us”.

“Getting more children and young people back to school and college will be our priority.

“If things remain on track, our aim is for all primary school children to return to face-to-face learning from 15 March.

“We also want to get some older learners - such as years 11 and 13 in schools and those doing qualifications in colleges - back on a blended learning basis."

Mr Drakeford says the total number of people in hospital with coronavirus has fallen below 1,800 for the first time since early December and the number of people with coronavirus in intensive care is 50% lower than at the peak of the pandemic.

He said “really good progress” was being made on the vaccination programme “thanks to the enormous efforts of everyone involved across Wales”.

"The very latest figures show almost 840,000 people have had their first dose – this is equivalent of a third of the adult population of Wales.”

"This week we started offering people appointments for second doses and more than 25,000 people have had theirs already.

"We’re on track to reach the next milestone of offering vaccination to everyone in priority groups five to nine by the end of April, provided vaccine supplies remain on course."

Weddings and civil partnerships are to be allowed from next week.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "We will change the law to allow licenced wedding venues, such as visitor attractions and hotels, to re-open but only to perform wedding and civil partnership ceremonies.

"And, as more people living and working (in) care homes are vaccinated, we will look again at our guidance for visiting."

He hoped to see cases continue to fall in the coming weeks.

As many as four people from two different homes will be able to exercise together from Saturday.

Mark Drakeford says the Welsh Government is now able to make "modest changes" to lockdown regulations and taking "some first cautious steps to relax some of the strictest lockdown restrictions we have all been living with for so long".

He said at a press conference: "From tomorrow, we will change the rules to allow up to four people from two different households to exercise outdoors together, helping people who have been struggling with lockdown.

"But this does not mean you can now drive somewhere to exercise and it does not mean socialising."

Most council meetings in one Welsh county could remain virtual, post Covid-19, in a bid to cut down on travel and improve diversity.

Before the pandemic, Gwynedd councillors had to travel to meetings in Caernarfon, resulting in a three-hour round trip for some.

Now plans have been outlined to allow councillors to take part in debates from their homes for years to come.

A report to councillors said virtual meetings had become the "new normal" and that continuing the virtual meetings would cut travel and reduce the council's carbon footprint and encourage more people to stand for election by making meetings more accessible, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Image source, Getty Images

A further 16 people have died with coronavirus in Wales, according to the latest figures from Public Health Wales.

It takes the total number of Covid-related deaths to 5,205.

There have also been a further 533 cases reported, making Wales' overall case rate 84 for every 100,000 people.

The total number of people who have had their first dose of a Covid vaccine is now 839,065.

Second Covid jab doses have been given to 25,433 people.

Wales' first minister says he hopes this will be the last three weeks of the "stay-at-home" requirement.

Mark Drakeford said any change depended on case rates falling and it was too soon to say if people would be able to travel beyond their local area.

He also said he hoped primary school children aged eight and over may be able to return to school from 15 March if Covid cases continued to fall.

Talks will begin with non-essential shops about the prospects of reopening.

Mr Drakeford said: "If in three weeks' time the numbers are still falling, the positivity rate is falling, the R number's below one, hospital pressures continue to reduce, then I hope we'll be able to move beyond 'stay at home'."

Image source, Getty Images

Hello and welcome to Wales’ live page, where we’ll be bringing you the latest coronavirus news.

Today’s headlines are:

• Wales' first minister says he hopes this will be the last three weeks of the "stay-at-home" requirement
• The Conservatives have called for a "road map to recovery," but Plaid Cymru say a "stay local" message is needed for as long as necessary
• Changes for non-essential shops and hairdressers could be considered in the next review in three weeks' time
• Primary school children aged eight and over may be able to return from 15 March if cases continue to fall
• Partygoers in north Wales padlocked themselves into an industrial unit to have a party, police say
• Covid infection rates in school hubs equate to 0.025%, according to figures released by Public Health Wales
• Most council meetings in one Welsh county could remain virtual, post Covid-19 in a bid to cut down on travel and improve diversity