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Prime Minister Mark Drakeford has not ruled out another closure in Wales before Christmas.
He also urged that the relaxation of the rules around Christmas should be used “carefully and responsibly” as concerns arise that the progress made by blocking firewalls is beginning to “unravel.”
The Welsh government cabinet will meet on Thursday to discuss how to deal with the weather before Christmas following a COBRA meeting with the four nations on Tuesday afternoon, where it was agreed that three households could bubble over Christmas from 23 to 27 from December. The rules are here.
Drakeford said it was “very clear” from the advice he received at the Cobra meeting that unless they found a formula that would allow people to gather during the holiday season, it was “very unlikely that people would be willing to stick with it. current level of restrictions “.
But he warned that cases in many parts of Wales were starting to rise again after declining after the two-week firewall ended on November 9.
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, he said: “We had a successful firewall period and it delivered what we expected, but in the last three to four days we have started to see some of those achievements fade, and we have seen coronavirus rise in many. parts of Wales, particularly in people under the age of 25 “.
He added: “In the run-up to Christmas we have to ask the people of Wales to think very carefully about the way they go about their daily lives.”
When asked if that meant more restrictions before Christmas, he said: “We are looking carefully at what other parts of the UK are doing.
“We will have more details on Thursday on how the English tier system will work after December 2, and the Cabinet in Wales will meet on Thursday to go through all of that and see if this means we have to introduce more restrictions to create the margin we need. to be able to use those five days during Christmas responsibly.
“If we are in a position to make an announcement this week, that is what we will do.”
He added: “Where does the coronavirus spread? It spreads in people’s homes, it spreads in hospitals and it spreads in hospitality.
“We have to think about these three configurations and do what we can to combat the virus, which spreads so fast if given the opportunity.”
The Prime Minister said he also wanted to see a common approach to how the four nations deal with the “aftermath of Christmas.”
“I am glad that meeting four times, we have been able to reach a common position in the five days of Christmas,” he said.
“Now I want us to reach a common position on how we deal with the aftermath of Christmas. It makes sense to do that through a common approach to the consequences of a greater mix of households.”
What do you think of the proposals to celebrate Christmas during the pandemic?
Speaking to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid at GMB, she said: “So the choice was between a guided way of meeting over Christmas or people just coming up with their own solutions. I think the risk was very high that people would just make up the solutions. rules for themselves
“Our decision is based on the calculation that this is the safest way, not a completely safe way, not a risk-free way, but the safest way that we can offer.
“By giving people a limited amount of freedom, a set of rules that we believe people can operate within, we will have a Christmas where people will be able to see people they haven’t seen for months and months. in the hardest year they’ve been through, but doing it in a way that doesn’t mean that people just feel like the restrictions are so severe they won’t notice.
“Most of the people in Wales would want to comply with the rules, but in the case of coronavirus it only takes a small minority of people who decide they are not ready to do that and that means the virus spreads again.”
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