Thanks for being with us as First Minister Mark Drakeford held a briefing on the coronavirus pandemic in Wales.

The Omicron wave of infections has peaked and case rates are rapidly declining - faster than anywhere else in the UK, he said.

He confirmed Wales was on track to follow its roadmap to alert zero by 10 February, meaning nightclubs can reopen from 28 January but Covid passes will still be needed.

There are currently no plans to charge for lateral flow tests, with Mr Drakeford suggesting such a change would need to be agreed by all UK administrations.

There will also be no changes to self-isolation rules in Wales, which remains at seven full days compared to five in England.

On a more political note, he criticised PM Boris Johnson about the UK government's plans to lift all Covid restrictions, accusing it of trying to "shore up" the PM's position.

These comments were swiftly criticised by Welsh Secretary Simon Hart, who said Mr Drakeford's comments were "uncalled for and opportunistic".

Follow all our latest updates by clicking here.

The Welsh Conservatives' health spokesman, Russell George, said the Covid mortality rate was higher in Wales than other parts of the UK.

But is that true?

Over the course of the pandemic, the age-standardised mortality rate for deaths involving Covid – the measure used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – is the same in Wales and England at 147.4 deaths per 100,000, with both Scotland (126.9) and Northern Ireland (132.5) lower in the 22 months to the end of December.

The age-standardised mortality rate due to Covid - with Covid the underlying cause of death - is slightly higher in England, than in Wales.

When a crude mortality rate, not adjusting for the age or population profile, is used, deaths are higher in Wales.

Mark Drakeford said it was "hard to follow" a statement by the prime minister that he did not expect England's current self-isolation regulations to be renewed when they run out on 24 March.

Boris Johnson told MPs the rules could even end before that date.

Wales' first minister said he thought the suggestion had simply been "floated" to "capture a headline".

"If you're releasing people knowing that they are infectious, knowing that they will infect other people, I think that is a very, very strange thing for a government to conclude, that he would be willing knowingly to sanction that," he said.

"Testing and self-isolation has been a really, really important part of the way in which we have tried to prevent the worst of coronavirus happening.

"I would need a lot of persuasion that we were in such a benign position that you could afford to do away with that protection."

Image source, Getty Images

Confused about what the Covid rules are in Wales?

Read our guide, with answers to some of the most common questions people have about the restrictions.

As Wales moves towards normality, Covid would "remain a very serious disease" for those who are unvaccinated, according to Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price.

He said it was important to encourage unvaccinated people to get the vaccine "to protect them and to protect all of us and to prevent, you know, the nightmare scenario of a new variant which could emerge".

"If we allow pools of people that are unvaccinated that provides a reservoir from which a new variant which could be a more serious variant," he said.

"Let's hope it doesn't happen. But you know, we need to make sure that we don't send out the wrong message that COVID in becoming endemic doesn't mean that COVID has disappeared."

Wales has the worst Covid mortality rate in the UK and there should be a Wales-specific Covid inquiry, according to the Welsh Conservatives.

Russell George said Wales had an NHS waiting list backlog that was getting worse, and called on the Welsh government to bring forward the relaxation of restrictions.

He said: "We don’t need to be awaiting another week or two weeks... we need to be moving quicker."

The Montgomeryshire MS added: "If the First Minister is so confident that he’s getting things right in Wales, why is he running away from a Wales-specific public inquiry?"

Asked if he was surprised Boris Johnson was embroiled in the lockdown party row and could be forced from office, the first minister said: "No, if I'm truthful about it.

"The prime minister [is] someone who's been sacked from two previous jobs for not telling the truth.

"I think the Times wrote an editorial on the eve of the December 2019 election pointing to the many flaws in the prime minister's record.

"In many ways, I think, what you see is his history catching up with him."

Image source, Getty Images

Decisions to entirely lift Covid restrictions in England are being made to deflect from the "dire difficulties the Prime Minister has created for himself", Mark Drakeford has said.

"And as for the UK government, let me just say, if anybody believes that their announcements this week on coronavirus were the result of a careful consideration of the science, or because they had a well worked out plan for what they were doing, I think that would be a very optimistic view indeed," he said.

"Everything that is happening in Westminster at the moment is seen entirely through the lens of how can we get something else to be reported, other than the dire difficulties of the prime minister has created for himself.

"And that's what I believe lies behind the announcements that we've seen this week."

Mark Drakeford said Wales had not relied extensively on the UK Coronavirus Act, meaning Welsh Covid law would not lapse if it is allowed to over the border.

He said: "We have used our powers available to us under the Public Health factor 1984. That's where we route measures that we have put to the Senate on gatherings and events on the Covid Pass on face coverings.

"The need for businesses to take reasonable measures to minimise the spread of Coronavirus on their premises and so on.

"So, I don't regard the fact that an Act may lapse in the UK at the end of March as having a significant impact on our ability to do the things we need to do because it's other legislation that we have relied on during the pandemic."

Wales is "well placed" to continue to have a "strong supply" of lateral flow tests and any decision to end their free supply would be taken by all four governments of the UK, Mark Drakeford said.

There have been newspaper reports that UK ministers are planning to make free kits only available in high-risk settings such as care homes, hospitals and schools, and to people with symptoms in the coming months.

Answering questions from journalists, the first minster said: "The funding decisions are ones made by the four nations together, [that's] very important for me to emphasise.

"This is not a decision for the UK government to make alone and then to announce it to the rest of us."

He added: "If the UK government is contemplating charging people for those tests in future that is a decision that should be made by us all. I've seen no proposition of that sort."

Mark Drakeford is now taking questions from the press.

Wales is sticking to its model of lifting Covid restrictions step-by-step, First Minister Mark Drakeford said.

Outdoor service in pubs and restaurants returns to normal today, but indoor hospitality still has some restrictions – including table service only – for another week.

Nightclubs also have to stay shut for another seven days.

Mr Drakeford said the approach was based on the advice from scientists, and has been critical of moves to immediately lift most restrictions in England.

He said: "It’s that considered, science-led, step-by-step approach that we think has helped to keep Wales safe throughout the pandemic, and we don’t intend to divert from what has been a successful formula for us."

Self-isolation rules will remain in place for everyone who tests positive for Covid, Mr Drakeford confirms.

The self-isolation period for anyone who develops symptons or tests positive for Covid in Wales is seven full days, whereas in England it is five.

Mr Drakeford said face-covering rules in most public indoor places would also remain in place.

He said the next review of restrictions would be in three weeks’ time.

He added Education Minister Jeremy Miles would “set out the next steps to protect staff and students in schools” next week.

First Minister Mark Drakeford has confirmed the latest relaxation of Covid restrictions.

He said: "From today Wales would move to alert level zero for all outdoor activities and events.

"This means there are no caps on the number of people who can take part in outdoor activities.

"Crowds can return to watch outdoor sporting events.

"And outdoor hospitality can operate without additional protective measures, such as the rule of six."

He added the Covid Pass would still be required for entry to larger outdoor events and would continue to be required for entry to cinemas, theatres and concert halls, which are currently open.

Mr Drakeford says Wales will move to alert level zero for indoor events and premises next Friday, 28 January “unless the public health situation suddenly changes for the worse”.

He added: "Nightclubs will be able to re-open.

"Working from home will remain important but it will no longer be a legal requirement.

"And the Covid Pass will continue to be required."

First Minister Mark Drakeford said there is a fall in the number of people being admitted to hospital with Covid-19.

He said there also “some gradual reductions” in the overall number of Covid-19 patients in hospital.

However he said: "While we are over the worst, we are by no means out of the woods.

"There are still more than 1,000 people in hospital with Covid-19, which is putting additional pressures on the NHS."

He added NHS staff absence and self-isolation rates had fallen but 7.3% of staff were still off work.