Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 1:41 pm on 26 August 2020.
I can. Thank you and apologies for the continuing technical issues here. I had just summarised the advice of the chief medical officer and explained to Members how the Cabinet, taking that advice into account, had decided to use the headroom we have in Wales to focus on the safe and successful reopening of schools in Wales from 1 September.
In addition to those measures, the following easements were also included in last week's review of the regulations: from Saturday last, up to four households have been able to join together to form a single extended household, bringing together a wider range of family and friends; from the same day, a meal in an indoor regulated setting for up to 30 people has become possible for those celebrating a wedding or civil partnership or marking a funeral; from Saturday next, 29 August, provided the virus remains effectively suppressed, indoor visits to care homes will also become possible again. Stringent conditions will have to be attached to this development, given the risks involved, and I'm grateful to the office of the older person's commissioner and to Care Forum Wales for their involvement in the production of necessary guidelines. Casinos in Wales will also be able to reopen from next Saturday, subject to the now familiar suite of mitigation measures.
Finally, over these three weeks, Llywydd, we will pilot gatherings outdoors for events in the arts and sports, bringing together up to 100 people. As ever, in Wales, the Government's approach has been to plan, pilot and then, if possible, to extend the freedoms we are able to restore. Provided the pilot events are successful and the virus remains suppressed, our aim will be to extend outdoor gatherings of this sort more generally in future.
As in previous cycles, we will also use the current three weeks to look ahead. We will consider occupations that take place within individual households, such as music tuition. We will explore ways in which small indoor meetings could take place, for example, in community centres for purposes such as weight-loss classes and book clubs. And we will learn from pilots taking place elsewhere in professional sport, as we continue to work with the major events sector in Wales.
Llywydd, as I said earlier, the coronavirus crisis has not gone away. The months ahead will pose many challenges. While Government can plan, prepare and provide, it is the actions of each one as individual citizens that make the greatest difference. The considerable majority of people in Wales continue to act with great care to keep themselves and others safe. A small minority fail to do so. Their actions cause avoidable harm. They add to the pressures felt by our hard-pressed public services and they undermine everything that everyone else has worked so hard to achieve. As we enter the more challenging days of autumn and winter, we need everyone in Wales to play their part in keeping Wales safe. Diolch yn fawr.