Wales to "follow the data" before lifting Covid rules
Boris Johnson is expected to set out more details about the plan for England this evening
Wales will not be rushed into making a decision about scrapping its coronavirus restrictions despite England's plans to do so later this month, the Welsh health minister has said.
Eluned Morgan insisted the Welsh Labour government will be "following the data rather than following the politics" when it considers whether rules can be eased over the next few weeks.
Boris Johnson is expected to announce later on Monday that in England from July 19, face masks will no longer be required in many settings and social distancing restrictions will be removed in pubs and restaurants.
Ministers in Cardiff Bay have so far refused to follow the UK and Scottish governments in setting a date when they will lift Covid-19 rules, arguing that experts need more time to analyse the extent vaccinations have broken the link between infections and hospital cases.
The reluctance to set a date is despite Wales having the best vaccination rates in the UK.
On Monday, Baroness Morgan told a press conference that Wales was "still in a very difficult situation" due to rising numbers of cases across the country when asked if the majority of rules should be lifted.
"We will of course, as always in Wales, be following the data rather than following the politics. That is what we've been doing all the way through this and we will continue to do that," she said.
But the health minister added ministers would also need to consider other harms from restrictions, such as the impact on mental health and the economy, given the signs that vaccines were supressing the amount of people needing hospital admissions.
"Our primary concern is to keep people safe, but of course we need to understand that we are going to learn to live with this illness and we are going to have to adapt as a society to a situation where we will be exposed to an extent to this new variant and to coronavirus more generally," she added.
Baroness Morgan said the Welsh Government's position would be announced on Wednesday July 14.
She said Wales "would like to move together" with other parts of the UK in lifting rules, but will only do so if it is "right" for the country, stating that England had missed previous deadlines "time and time again".
"We do have constant dialogue with representatives of the UK Government and of course in an ideal world we would like to move together, but if it is not right for Wales we won't be doing that."
She added: "Boris Johnson will do what he thinks is right for England, and we will do what's right for us here in Wales."