enabling full mixing without any mitigation, such as wearing masks or social distancing, will mean that there will be, sort of, preventable transmission. it would've been slightly better had we got our case rates lower before we started to relax completely. the health service remains under pressure, but the immediate threat of 0micron seems to be receding. ministers have made a judgment call. the costs of restrictions now outweigh the benefits. dominic hughes, bbc news, bolton. let's get more on those record nhs waiting lists in wales and look at the figures in more details. the overall waiting list now stands at 682,279 just over a fifth of the population. the waiting list figure has been climbing month on month since may 2020, although this was the smallest monthly rise. the longest waits included over 50,000 people due for orthopaedic or trauma treatment although this figure has fallen over