Covid: Ministers 'will look at' easing Wales' rules next week

Ministers will look at easing Wales' Covid rules when restrictions are reviewed next week, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.

But he said it was a "big if" whether the situation would allow that.

He rebuffed calls to ease restrictions now on sports events, following a similar announcement in Scotland.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said Wales was an outlier with "overzealous restrictions on sport".

Meanwhile Health Minister Eluned Morgan said she may change a controversial law which threatens potential fines of £60 for people not working from home when they can.

It followed a debate in the Senedd where Plaid Cymru briefly threatened to vote against the regulations.

Wales' rules were last tightened on 26 December, meaning no more than 50 people can attend a sporting event in Wales - with many teams having to play behind closed doors.

Social distancing restrictions are in place in businesses, and a rule of six applies in hospitality venues such as pubs and restaurants.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Drakeford said: "Next week will be the end of a three-week review period.

"If we are very fortunate, and it's a very big if, and we find that we have passed that peak and we are on a reliable reduction in impact of coronavirus on us, then we will look to see what we can do to say to relax some of the protections that we've had to put in place.

"But we will not do it until we are confident that the scientific and medical advice to us is that it is safe to move in that direction."

Calling for changes to the rules, Welsh Conservative Senedd leader Mr Davies said the rules have made Parkrun impossible to run and the Welsh Rugby Union among others need a "clear sense of direction" on when rules will be eased.

Plaid Cymru's Llyr Gruffydd called for Mr Drakeford to "consider raising the maximum number of supporters so that grassroots sports can operate, and in the case of larger clubs, for some percentage, perhaps a third or half the capacity of the stadium, as long as social distancing and mask wearing is in place".

Events under the Parkrun umbrella, a weekly 5km run organised by volunteers and usually held in public spaces, have been off in Wales since the restrictions were imposed, but are still taking place in other UK nations.

Mr Drakeford rejected Mr Davies's comments, saying he had seen "many people running in the park in organised groups".

"Once we are in a position of knowing that Wales has passed the peak… then we will want as quickly but as safely as possible to begin to relax some of the protections that have been necessary while the Omicron wave was still coming at us," he said.

"But we're not at that point today."

The exchange comes amid a row over Chester FC, an English football club which has its stadium in Wales.

The club has postponed its next home game.

Mr Drakeford said it was important "we find a pragmatic solution which is clear on the law in Wales - and the law is the same for all clubs in Wales - but also recognising the fact that there are important issues for Chester Football Club and try to help them with those issues too."

On Tuesday Senedd members retrospectively voted on the rules brought in last month, with the regulations passing by a majority.

They were agreed with Labour support and despite Tory opposition, while Plaid Cymru also disagreed with some of the measures.

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth said his party would not vote for the work from home rules, which also levy £1,000 fines on firms breaching the rules, without reassurances.

"For us, it's not acceptable to place the onus on individual employees to ensure their own safety in the workplace," he said, adding that the maximum of 50 on sports matches was not "proportionate".

Lib Dem Jane Dodds said she was also opposed to the work from home measure.

In response, Eluned Morgan said of the work from home law: "I'd like to make a commitment that if the regulations go through we will discuss further on whether there should be further amendments to these points."

The regulations on working from home passed, 28 Labour MSs in favour, 13 abstentions from Plaid and the Liberal Democrats and 15 Tories against.

Wales' Covid case rate fell for a fourth day in a row on Tuesday to 1,780.5 cases per 100,000 people - its lowest level since a spike in Omicron infections took cases to record levels over Christmas.

But Mr Drakeford told the Welsh Parliament it was unclear whether recent figures that showed a decline in a number of Covid cases were "genuine falls" or a result of fewer people going for PCR tests because of recent changes.

Those who do not have symptoms, but have a positive lateral flow test, are no longer required to get a follow-up PCR test.

He said even though they were showing a decline, the figures were still "astronomically high" and it would take "a few days" before it is clear whether they represented a genuine downturn.

Conservative Andrew RT Davies said: "The Labour administration in Cardiff Bay is once again the outlier in the United Kingdom with overzealous restrictions on sport and exercise in Wales - two things which not only boost people's physical health, but also their mental health.

"The first minister kept saying that he wants evidence that activities are safe before restoring freedoms to the people of Wales. Surely, they should be proven to be dangerous before our rights to go about everyday actions are taken away by ministers?"