Our NHS will have to make some changes to how it operates. That includes care and advice by phone and information technology. I have decided on a new software system to be made available across Wales to enable video consultations for people with their GPs. We have already introduced an online symptom checker, hosted by our NHS Direct Wales website. There is, of course, the daily update on the Public Health Wales website too. This should help to reduce pressure on front-line staff, and better support people with information and advice.

We want to strike a balance between keeping people safe and minimising the social and economic impact. Our decisions will reflect the scientific evidence, and take into account the trade-offs involved. The actions we will consider include encouraging greater home working, not using public transport and other behavioural measures that people can voluntarily take to slow the spread of the disease. We will consider if those with more minor symptoms should self-isolate, but this will be informed by expert advice on the epidemiology of the outbreak, and we are not at that point today.

It is worth reminding ourselves and the public, though, that people with significant flu-like symptoms should not attend work, their GP, or an A&E department. That is not new advice—that is the current advice at all times of the year.

Some major public events, as we've seen, have been cancelled or postponed outside Wales, to limit the risk of transmitting coronavirus. A number of schools have closed in other countries for similar reasons. These are possible future options for us too. We are, however, not at that stage. Schools should remain open, and there is no rationale to cancel major sporting fixtures at this point.

But some of the most effective measures involve all of us—not just the Government or the NHS. For instance, simple personal hygiene procedures can significantly limit the spread of the virus, as can prudent self-isolation for those at particular risk. Employers can and should support their staff to take such action, without creating undue alarm. To mitigate the impact on businesses, the Welsh Government has registered COVID-19 as a notifiable disease. This will help companies seek compensation through their insurance policies in the event of any cancellations that they may have to make as a result of the spread of the virus.

We are moving towards enhanced monitoring arrangements at Cardiff international airport. This will mean that every aircraft that lands here from a region identified by the case definition will need to declare any symptomatic passengers to Public Health Wales's port health teams before disembarking.

Outside the UK, the risk changes daily. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also updates its advice to travellers regularly. And people who intend to travel abroad should check the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website for the most up-to-date travel advice before they travel. The latest advice for returning travellers from the highest-risk parts of the world is to stay indoors, avoid contact with other people, and call 111. That is true even if they do not have symptoms. Those areas are: Iran, the Hubei province in China and Italy. For returning travellers from areas that are deemed lower risk, the advice is to stay indoors and avoid contact with other people only if you develop symptoms. This now includes all of Italy outside of the locked down areas I've already mentioned.

There is further advice available from Public Health Wales and the Welsh Government for people who have not travelled but are nonetheless concerned. That too will change as the pattern of the outbreak changes and as our understanding grows. But following such advice is always better than listening to often ill-informed rumour and speculation. In particular, I would urge people to check the advice that is available before presenting themselves for diagnosis, which, of course, risks wasting finite NHS resources. We are continuing to offer community testing to people in their own homes. In addition, 111 is now available across all areas of Wales for coronavirus advice.

The First Minister and I continue to attend COBRA meetings. We will continue to work with UK Ministers, the Scottish and Northern Irish Governments, our chief medical officers, and public health agencies, across all four nations.

No-one should be under any illusion about the threat that the coronavirus presents. There are plain and serious risks to people's health, including in particular people who are already vulnerable. And a large-scale outbreak also carries wider risks of social and economic disruption. 

This outbreak will not go away quickly and it will get worse before it gets better. But, at the same time, we have long been prepared for an outbreak like this, and we are learning more about this particular virus each day. That knowledge, combined with the dedication of our health professionals and others right across public services and the independent sector, allows us to reduce the risks as far as we possibly can. I will, of course, keep Members and the people of Wales fully informed of any steps that we take here in the Government.