The strict COVID-19 restrictions adopted by the Welsh government are throttling recovery and economic activity in the region, a British minister has said. Since the detection of the Omicron variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, which causes COVID-19, the Labour administration in Wales has imposed significantly tighter restrictions than those adopted by the Conservative UK government, which is responsible for public health in England. In a discussion on Welsh affairs in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Conservative MP Stephen Crabb said Wales faces “the most burdensome and most intrusive restrictions in any part of the United Kingdom.” He asked the UK government’s Welsh Secretary Simon Hart if he agrees that “these measures are driven more by fear and pessimism than by good science.” Hart concurred, saying that the tighter controls in Wales have not produced better results than in the rest of the UK, and that “it …