Wales' First Minister has announced that new legal restrictions to slow the spread of Omicron will come into force on December 27.
Mark Drakeford made the announcement ahead of the formal review of lockdown restrictions on Friday, December 17. The Welsh Government's cabinet has met a number of times this week and twice on Thursday to look at the latest data and decide restrictions for the festive period.
The cabinet has stopped short of introducing any restrictions which would limit people meeting over Christmas. It has also decided against any restrictions on travel but the First Minister has advised people to have a smaller Christmas.
Read more: Ministers in Wales preparing to support businesses hit by cancellations as Omicron spreads
In a statement issued on Thursday night, Mr Drakeford said: "This year a smaller Christmas is a safer Christmas. The fewer people we see, the less chance we have of catching or passing on the virus."
He urged people to get vaccinated, take lateral flow tests before going shopping or visiting people, to meet outdoors wherever possible, spread out social events with at least a day between them and to social distance, wash hands and wear a mask.
However, from December 27, there will be tougher rules. Nightclubs will have to close from that point.
A 2m rule on social distancing in offices will come in and there will be extra measures to protect customers and staff, such as one-way systems and physical barriers will become a requirement.
On Friday morning, Mr Drakeford revealed that ministers are considering going even further when they meet on Monday and bringing back the "rule of six" governing how many people can meet in venues. Curbs on the number of people at large events like sports matches are also being considered. See more on that here.
In his statement on Friday night, First Minister Mark Drakeford said: "Delta will continue to be the main cause of coronavirus infections in Wales up to Christmas. But we are seeing cases of omicron increasing rapidly every day in Wales – and across the UK.
"We need a plan to keep us safe this Christmas and we need stronger measures to protect us afterwards, as we prepare for a large wave of Omicron infections.
"Omicron poses a new threat to our health and safety. It is the most serious development in the pandemic to date.
"It is one we must take seriously. We will continue to put in place proportionate measures to protect people’s lives and livelihoods.
"This is a virus which thrives on human contact. Every contact we have is an opportunity for us to spread or catch the virus. Please enjoy Christmas with your nearest and dearest – and think about meeting up with wider circles of friends when the threat posed by the omicron variant has passed over.
"I also want to thank the many thousands of people who will be working this Christmas to keep us safe – especially all those who have cancelled their plans to work in the vaccination centres across Wales to increase our protection against this awful virus."
It has already been announced that the start of the school term in Wales will be delayed when pupils return in January. Education Minister Jeremy Miles has said all pupils should return by January 10 and “where possible” pupils should be in school for lessons next term. Read all the details on that story here.
Today's data from Public Health Wales showed there were also 2,889 new positive cases recorded in the latest update bringing the total number since the pandemic began to 546,573. There have been
Wales has recorded zero coronavirus deaths for the first time since August 24.
The latest seven-day infection rate across Wales, based on the cases for every 100,000 people (for the seven days up to December 11) now stands at 500.7 – a slight rise from the 499.8 reported on Wednesday. You can read more about that here.
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