Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford has said he wished he could have given “more notice” before bringing forward the country’s lockdown and further cutting back plans to allow families to mix over Christmas. Mr Drakeford said the decision to impose Wales’s highest level of restrictions, announced just seven hours before they came into force, was “unavoidable” due to how widespread the new strain of coronavirus was across the country. His announcement on Saturday evening triggered a rush for last-minute shopping before non-essential retailers were forced to close their doors at midnight, leading to long queues outside supermarkets and other retailers.