Gething defends Welsh Government's decision to introduce restrictions

• Economy Minister Vaughan Gething speaking to Good Morning Britain (GMB)

The Welsh Government made the right decision in introducing more coronavirus restrictions despite some studies suggesting Omicron may not be as severe as initially feared, the economy minister has said.

On Wednesday tougher restrictions were announced for Wales' hospitality sector with a return to the rule of six, table service and a requirement to collect customers' contact details for contact tracing purposes.

There was also a ban on large events, with limits on the number of people able to attend outdoor and indoor events.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain (GMB) on Thursday morning, Vaughan Gething insisted the Welsh Government had made the right call.

He said: "I think we've done the right thing, I think it's a proportionate response to the level of threat that we face.

"If you look at London, which we think is about a week ahead of us, in this week they've seen a 30% rise in hospital cases.

"Now that's before the impact of the eyewatering case figures we've seen this week sped through to all parts of our health and care system, so we know that more is coming."

Asked if the Welsh Government had "jumped the gun" and risked facing a backlash from businesses, the economy minister said it was likely there would be a surge in cases and the Government had to act.

"I'm not particularly happy about the measures that we've had to take because I know it will have a real impact on people's lives and livelihoods," Mr Gething said.

"Of course I'm concerned about the fact that some people are fatigued and don't want there to be more restrictions and are understandably concerned about how their business is going to run.

"But if you look at what's likely to happen over the next few days with a really fast-spreading variant, then we are going to see more and more cases.

"The harm we're starting to see in hospital systems in parts of England will be seen in every part of the UK."

Announcing the restrictions, the Welsh Government said it will make available £120m for nightclubs, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses affected by the new measures.

It was also announced earlier this week that, from Boxing Day, sporting events in Wales will be played behind closed doors.

The Government said it was making available a £3m Spectator Sports Fund to assist impacted clubs and venues.

Responding to the announcement of the imminent restrictions, the Welsh Conservatives said businesses needed "urgent and substantial financial support from the Welsh Government."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats called for greater clarity around the financial assistance on offer and also said more money had to be spent on contact tracing.

Wales recorded a record number of daily coronavirus cases on Wednesday, registering more than 4,500 confirmed cases.

That came on the same day as the UK recorded more than 100,000 cases in a day - the first time that has happened since the pandemic began.