This is not just about the Devils though. There are many other users of IAW, young and old, who are desperate to be allowed to take part again in their chosen sport, whether that’s ice hockey, figure skating, sledge hockey etc. Just as they are in other countries in the UK. Even if public skating wasn’t allowed immediately, there are more than enough clubs using that facility, to make opening it financially viable for the short term anyway. Kids are being denied access to their chosen sporting endeavours, vital to their health and mental well being, for no good reason anymore.
While we’re talking about attendances at hockey matches - by the start of the season, every single adult in Wales will have been offered two vaccine doses. To date, the two main vaccines used in the UK have shown efficacy of 90+ % against the now dominant Delta variant. Why would there be any reason not to have full capacity, if we trust that our vaccines work (and current hospital admissions/deaths suggest that they do)? As Steve King posted in this thread, we’re all responsible for our own level of risk when it comes to what we do in life. For those who don’t want to take that risk, then that’s their choice, as is the case for those that want to get on with our lives. There will be other variants, we can’t keep shutting down every time a new one appears. What sort of life is that? For those who wish to hide away, maybe streaming matches in the comfort of your own home is the answer. Myself, I’ll be cheering on the Devils from inside IAW (if Drakeford eventually allows).