With the firebreak period ending on Monday 9 November next week, the Welsh Government released new regulations to follow in restaurants, cafés and pubs.

Cowbridge Nub News spoke to restaurants on the high street to find out their reactions to the new guidelines, which are as follows:

- Up to four individuals from up to four different households will be able to meet in a 'regulated setting' - such as a pub, bar, restaurant or café - for food or drinks.

- Children under the age of 11 do not count towards the four-person limit, the Welsh Government has confirmed.

- The four-person limit does also not apply to people from the same household. More than four can sit together - but they will have to prove they share an address.

- Customers must time-slot booking in advance

- The four-person allowance is dependent on how big the pub or restaurant is, and whether it can accommodate a party of four whilst adhering to coronavirus safety regulations. The Welsh Government is encouraging people to keep groups as small as possible.

- The 10pm curfew on alcohol sales will remain in place when hospitality businesses reopen.

The Yard Pizzeria is due to open 10 November, and return to being open Tuesday-Saturday.

Owner Paul Langford said he and his team find the changes after each lockdown confusing.

"The regulations are open to interpretation, and also to misuse," said Paul.

"As I read it, I could have a group four individuals sit at a table together, but I could also have a group of eight men come in, who say they all live together. They may be lying, but we'd have to sit them.

"I don't think that we should be the police. We have to trust customers.

"The government advice is to eat out with a small amount of people, but our tables are for six people or more, apart from two tables of four. I've rebuilt the tables to keep them socially distanced.

"We just don't have the room in the restaurant to have lots of tables of two."

Paul also said the weeks leading up to the firebreak had been tough, and reduced takings from the restaurant meant he had to let staff go.

"When they announced the rule that people couldn't come from different areas, then the rule of six, that was awful for us," he said.

"As a restaurant we're down to about 20% of takings compared to where we were before lockdown.

"We've been doing takeaways this week to keep ticking over. We just don't know where we're going when we come out of it."

Paul also said there are knock-on effects from restaurants having to close, which impact on other local businesses.

"It's not just us, it's our suppliers too. A lot of our produce comes from Italy, because of what we make, and they're reporting that their custom is down too," he said.

"All of our stuff is either welsh or Italian, so we try and support local too.

"But if we don't have any customers, we can't buy local, so the knock-on effects are huge.

"We've also found that customers are scared to come out again. It will take a while for them return. We don't know what Christmas will look like."

The Yard has made use of the government relief funds, which has reduced its overall loss for the year, but several restaurants such as Oscar's and Bar 44 have been shut since March.

"It's not a good thing that we're one of the only restaurants open," said Paul.

"People aren't going to come out in Cowbridge if there's only one or two restaurants. You want people to come and walk around and pick from a range of places.

"It's a horrible time, for everybody, not just us."

Mohammed Elkilany at The Penny Farthing felt more optimistic about coming out of the second lockdown.

"We're welcoming everyone back safely," he said.

"I think it's good that we're allowed tables of four, so long as people don't take advantage of it, because that will affect us later in December.

"If everybody behaves and follows the rules, and we'll follow them on our end, that hopefully means we can have Christmas in Wales."

Mo said the 10pm curfew will only effect customers coming to Gourmet Night at The Penny Farthing, when the restaurant stays open later than usual.

"Last time it ran smoothly," said Mo.

"It's not ideal, but people follow the rules because they want to enjoy the night out. I know people feel fed up from having to stay inside.

"I've put in an extra night now, due to high demand. The 21st is fully booked, and we had a lot of people on the waiting list so we've added another gourmet night on the 28th November.

"We'll also have two in December, so long as we're allowed to be open.

"We're keeping it positive. We can worry about businesses, but we have to remember people are dying because of the virus still."

Earlier in the week, First Minister Mark Drakeford said the government's "clear advice" for people living in Wales is that they should "visit these places in as small a group as possible, and, for many, this will only be the people we live with."

"But we have listened carefully to what young people and single people especially have told us about how important it is to be able to meet some friends and other family members," said Mr Drakeford.