Wales is delaying further easing of coronavirus restrictions for four weeks after seeing a spike in cases of the Delta variant, as the nation again faces a “serious public health situation”.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “In the space of just a few short weeks, the Delta variant has entered Wales and quickly spread throughout the country.

“There is sustained and accelerating transmission, not just in north and south-east Wales but in all parts of Wales.

“It is now the most dominant variant in new cases in Wales. We are once again facing a serious public health situation.”

And on Twitter he wrote: “We have reviewed all the evidence and will pause changes to the rules for four weeks.”

He said the government will use that time to “vaccinate even more people”, pointing out the nation has the highest vaccination rates and the lowest coronavirus rates in the UK.

Latest figures show there are nearly 490 cases of the Delta variant in Wales, while more than four out five new COVID-19 cases are the Delta variant, according to the Welsh government.

Two-thirds of these are not linked to travel or contact with another case, it added.

Mr Drakeford also tweeted: “There will be no major changes over the next four weeks, but we’ll be making some small changes to the current rules.

“The number of people who can attend indoor weddings or civil partnership receptions or wakes, organised by a business will be determined by the size of the venue.

“We will also clarify in the rules that small grassroots music and comedy venues can operate on the same basis as other hospitality venues. And we will continue with our planned pilot events in June and July.”

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