Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 4. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 8 July 2020.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 2:20, 8 July 2020

(Translated)

Thank you very much. First of all, may I welcome the First Minister's statement that he's considering stronger guidance on the use of face coverings? We are focused on making face coverings compulsory in certain indoor arenas. The evidence on the benefit of that, and on the likelihood that the virus is spreading through the air, is becoming more prevalent. So, I'm looking forward to a robust statement at an early stage on that.

In turning to the health committee's report, the report was published today and it raised some fundamental questions on the Welsh Government's response to the pandemic. And one of those questions is on the pace of protecting the care sector. Now, I've seen some figures that seem to suggest how many antibody tests have been carried out in various sectors in Wales: 13,000 health workers have been tested; 9,000 workers in educational hubs have been tested; but only 75 people working in the care sector. Now, does the Minister understand that that reinforces this perception that this sector wasn't prioritised properly at an early stage during this pandemic and it's still not being prioritised now?