RESTRICTIONS put in place across Wales on Boxing Day to tackle the rise in Omicron cases have today been lifted.

Nightclubs can reopen this evening and working from home is no longer a legal requirement.

Unlike in England, face masks will still need to be worn in public places in Wales and anyone attending large events will need to produce an NHS Covid pass.

The general requirement of two metres social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces has been removed and the rule of six will no longer apply to gatherings from today.

Licensed premises will no longer need to only provide table service and collect contact details.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the relaxation of protections was possible thanks to the hard work of everyone in Wales and the success of the vaccination programme – more than 1.8 million booster doses have been given.

And, since the start of December, more than 36,000 people have come forward to have their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said: “We have passed the peak of this omicron wave and there are encouraging signs that cases of coronavirus may be starting to stabilise. But we all need to continue taking steps to stay safe – unfortunately the pandemic is not over yet.

“We are moving to alert level zero and we will retain some important protections, such as face coverings in most indoor public places and risk assessments.

“We can do this thanks to the hard work and efforts of everyone in Wales and the remarkable success of our vaccine and booster programmes. Thank you all.”

The Welsh Government confirmed that face-covering rules, which apply on public transport and in most public indoor places will remain in force after 28 January, with the exception of hospitality settings such as restaurants, pubs, cafes and nightclubs.

Everyone must also continue to self-isolate if they test positive for coronavirus but the Welsh Government has reduced the self-isolation period from seven to five full days.

The next three-weekly review of the coronavirus regulations will be carried out by 10 February, when all the measures at alert level zero will be reviewed.