Restrictions on outdoor sporting events will be "one of the first to be lifted", Wales' health minister has suggested.
Speaking to Senedd members in the plenary session on Tuesday, January 11, Eluned Morgan was asked about Parkrun and spectators being able to return to sports grounds. There is mounting pressure for Wales to lift restrictions, especially as the Six Nations tournament gets closer. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has now said rules will be eased there.
Mrs Morgan told Newport East MS John Griffiths that First Minister Mark Drakeford had asked officials to look at the impact of lifting restrictions.
Mrs Morgan said she is "sure" that of the options the First Minister has asked officials to look at "that option of easing outdoor sporting events is likely to be one of the first contenders".
Earlier in the day she had said that it was too early to say Wales was at the peak of the Omicron spike. That was reiterated by the First Minister when he answered questions in the weekly First Minister's questions session.
Recap the updates from Tuesday's press conference here.
A review of lockdown restrictions in Wales is due to be held again this Friday, January 14, with another review a week afterwards on Friday, January 21, which Mr Drakeford appears to be focusing on as a potential point when restrictions could be eased.
"Next week will be the end of a three-week review period," said Mr Drakeford on Tuesday. "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 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."
Mr Drakeford told plenary: "A small piece of good news is the same modelling shows numbers then beginning to decline relatively rapidly as well.
"Once we are in a position of knowing that Wales has passed the peak of the impact that it is having on our public services, on workers in the private sector, in the ability of our health service to deal with the growing numbers of people in a hospital bed because of coronavirus, 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.
"But we're not at that point today. We will review the data as we do every day and every week."
Mrs Morgan also answered criticism of Welsh Government's rules affecting the hugely popular Parkrun events. Parkrun has cancelled its 5km runs in Wales because rules prevent gatherings of more than 50 people. Although the Welsh Government did not specifically ban Parkrun organisers felt they could not ensure a limit of 50. Hundreds typically attend the Cardiff event.
A small group of runners met for an alternative event on Saturday.
On Parkrun specifically the health minister said it was an international organisation who have "a way of doing things".
"We have suggested breaking people into groups of 50 but the organisers haven't wanted to do things in that way. We've given them that option but they're the people who have decided they don't want to do it in that way. There has to be a bit of give and take here. Flexibility is there if they want to take advantage of that," she said.
The minister said the plan was to lift any restrictions "as soon as we can" but that the pandemic "is still with us".
"We are keeping a very close eye on the statistics that are coming in at the moment. We're hoping we're seeing a stabilisation in those numbers. It will be difficulty for us to dismantle things are numbers continue to rise," Baroness Morgan told the press conference.
In a question about whether restrictions will be lifted to allow crowds at Six Nations games, due to start in February, the minister said it was "unlikely" restrictions would be eased until there is "at least" a levelling off and coming down from the peak from the extremely high levels we're seeing at the moment.
"Let's be clear where we are in this process. We are seeing the highest level of cases throughout this pandemic still in our communities today and now would not be a sensible time for us to lift those."
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