2. Statement by the First Minister: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 22 April 2020.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:22, 22 April 2020

Well, I thank Dawn Bowden for those questions, Llywydd. On the voluntary effort, we have 15,000 new volunteers in the system as a result of the coronavirus appeal. That's more than double the number of volunteers that were previously registered in that system and that's a fantastic response. Here in Wales, the help that we are able to offer that group of people who are not in the shielded category but nevertheless have real vulnerability because they don't have family, friends or neighbours or other networks they can use, the mobilisation of that voluntary effort through community voluntary councils working with local authorities, I think, has been an astonishing strength of the way that we've been able to make sure that those vulnerable people in Wales have not been neglected, not just set to one side. And that is an effort that is going to have to continue for many weeks and months ahead.

I want to take up Dawn's second point, Llywydd, and just underline it: this is a long haul. This is not going to be over quickly. Until there is a vaccination that everybody can feel confident works, then we're going to be living with outbreaks of this virus for quite a long time to come, and as we lift the lockdown, so the surveillance measures in the community, our ability to be able to spot quickly and respond quickly to local flaring up of the virus again, will be an absolutely essential part of the plan that John Griffiths asked me about. Our chief medical officer has already developed a surveillance plan for Wales that we will need as the lockdown begins to be eased, and we are discussing with Public Health Wales this week how that plan can be translated into services on the ground. It will mean a different sort of testing regime, going back to community testing, rather than testing aimed solely at patients and at staff. It will be a huge effort that we will need to mobilise again and that's why, in my opening statement, I emphasised our determination to use the time we have during the next three weeks to put those sorts of plans firmly in place.