Our system in Wales is a partnership between Public Health Wales, local health boards and local authorities. Over 600 staff, experienced in working with the public, have been recruited and trained by local authorities and other public services. Not all will be undertaking contact tracing work as yet due to the low number of new positive cases, but the capacity is there to step up if needed, and careful arrangements have been made in our system to protect personal data and to guard against fraud. And all of that is important because this is a trust-based system, enabled by technology and staffed by local people. It will provide the essential infrastructure to help us prevent transmission of the virus and gradually reduce the restrictions on day-to-day life in Wales.

Llywydd, we have to be prepared for a potential upturn in transmission, because as the lockdown eases, so the number of personal contacts increases. In that context, we have reviewed the evidence on the role of face coverings, and the Minister for Health and Social Services reported on new advice yesterday, endorsing the use of non-medical face coverings on public transport.

The Minister also provided a written statement yesterday that set out that we are on track to complete the first phase of testing all residents and staff in care homes in Wales by the end of this week, and we will now test all care home workers each week for a further four-week period.

Llywydd, the UK Government’s plans for quarantine requirements at the border came into effect this week. Border security is a reserved matter, but because the quarantine arrangements are implemented through public health legislation, it was necessary for the Welsh Ministers to make parallel regulations for Wales. Where people notify an intention to quarantine at an address in Wales, they will be contacted by Public Health Wales.

Llywydd, in previous statements I have considered the impact of the virus on the work of the Welsh Government, on its budget and other areas. The legislative programme is no exception, with a sharp reduction in the capacity of the Government to bring forward our proposals, and challenges indeed for the legislature in discharging the responsibility to scrutinise those plans in current circumstances.

The Minister for Education's statement yesterday informed Ministers that, very reluctantly, the Government has concluded that it will not be practicable to proceed as planned with the tertiary education reform Bill. It will now be published as a draft Bill for consultation. I will make a statement next month on the Government’s legislative plans for the remainder of this Senedd term.

Llywydd, yesterday we received important evidence on how coronavirus is impacting the lives of children in Wales. This has been an extraordinary period for us all, but for children the coronavirus crisis will make up a significant proportion of their whole lives. Attending to their needs and experience is an important strand in our response to the emergency.

Over 23,700 children and young people aged between three and 18 shared their views through the 'Coronavirus and Me' survey. This survey is a partnership between the Welsh Government, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Children in Wales and the Youth Parliament. The survey underlined how much young people have been missing their family and friends during this period, and for young people in particular, it has underlined their anxieties about their education and worries about falling behind.

As our chief medical officer has regularly made clear, there is more than one form of harm from coronavirus. Children’s needs must be a real concern as we try to balance the benefits of protection from the virus against the harms caused by loss of education and social contact, and there's no doubt that those harms will impact most on those who are already disadvantaged. From the start, we set out to mitigate those harms by keeping schools open for children receiving free school meals, and children of key workers. But for many children, there has been no contact with school, and their experience of remote learning may have been mixed.

That is why, in considering the options for the remainder of this term, the Minister for Education has given priority to ensuring that all pupils will meet their teacher in small groups to support them with their learning and planning for the next stage. The Minister's statement last week confirmed that this is a phased return to school. It will start on 29 June and continue until the end of July, ensuring a full month of schooling in its new format for all pupils before the summer break.

Finally, Llywydd, the leader of Plaid Cymru raised the question of Black Lives Matter protests with me and I was grateful to him for doing so. The anger felt at the death of George Floyd has quite rightly cast a spotlight on the wider experience of black people in our society. We have as great a need as any here in Wales to confront our own history, to recognise the part played in it by black communities, and to address the systematic discrimination and discrimination faced still by black people today. Nobody's record on this is perfect: no political party; no organisation, public or private; and no Government. All I want to say to black citizens here in Wales today is that imperfect as the record has been, the Welsh Government is here to stand by you, to work with you, to learn from you as we recommit to making a real difference in the future. Llywydd, diolch yn fawr.