THERE will be no 'cavalier approach' to restarting the economy in Wales, to try to avoid damage that would be caused by having to rein things back in due to a Covid-19 resurgence, said health minister Vaughan Gething.

He said such a course would lead to "economic scarring" but stressed that the Welsh Government is “genuinely desperately concerned” about the economy, and acknowledged the anxiety of businesses in Wales regarding a need to restart "economic activity".

Non-essential shops reopened in Wales yesterday, but other sectors such as tourism must wait until July for details of when and how they can resume.

“We know if we have good economic conditions when people have good jobs and are relatively well paid, then actually there are fewer public health challenges," said Mr Gething at today's Welsh Government coronavirus press briefing.

"We know poor health leads to poor economic outcomes too.

“We also know that, for the economic losses people are suffering, actually if we take a cavalier approach, which we have not done in Wales, then we can see more economic activity starting in a way that wasn't safe.

"That wouldn’t just lead to a public health problem, not just a loss of life, but it would also lead to a sort of economic scarring that many economists are rightly concerned about if we had to go into an earlier and harder lockdown.”

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As Mr Gething addressed the briefing, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the two-metre social distancing rule would be relaxed to one metre in England.

Mr Gething told the briefing the Welsh Government had not yet seen the evidence "that underpins any potential changes” to the two-metre rule, which First Minister Mark Drakeford was quick to stress - via social media messages - still applies in Wales.

“If there is evidence that underpins any change then we will, of course, consider that and consider what that means for Wales,” said Mr Gething.

“We will continue to take the approach we have done. Our objective is to keep Wales safe.

"We will only change if the evidence is there. That means if we can make changes that don’t place people at unnecessary risk. That remains the driver of this government here in Wales.”

Mr Gething also addressed Covid-19 outbreaks at food and meat processing plants in Anglesey and Wrexham - and a "small cluster at Merthyr Tydfil's Kepak plant - which "reinforce the need for all of us to continue to take coronavirus seriously".

"Coronavirus has not gone away. There is no room for complacency," he said.