Today's announcements that people can gather in groups of six (England) or eight (Scotland) from tomorrow (Scotland) and Monday (England) led me to wonder exactly what the rules are in Wales right now because, to be honest, I lost track a while back after each country's government started doing their own thing.

According to the Welsh government's guidance on their website, their intention is to prohibit all public gatherings of more than two people. The exercise guidelines on the same web pages suggest people in Wales should only exercise alone or with members of their own household, but in terms of 'gatherings' the guidance talks about stopping more than two people, except when those people are members of the same household or are attending funerals, carrying out essential work, giving emergency assistance, etc.

Does this therefore mean that, throughout the lockdown, I could have met up with a friend or relative from another household in a public space provided we had kept two metres apart? If that's not the case, then why does the guidance talk about prohibiting gatherings of more than two people?

I want to point out that I'm genuinely not looking to score any political points here - I'm pretty sure the current guidance in Wales is the same as was being given to people in England until fairly recently, and from a personal perspective I believe that both the Westminster government and the Welsh government have been utterly hopeless in their handling of this crisis. It's just that, to me, regulations that prohibit gatherings of more than two people would suggest that 'gatherings' of just two people are acceptable, when I've believed all along that they aren't.

https://gov.wales/staying-home-and-away-others-guidance