Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion tabled in the name of my colleague Darren Millar on behalf of the Welsh Conservatives. Now, the motion before us calls for three simple things: for the Welsh Government to reconsider the position on face coverings, to ensure that localised lockdowns are proportionate to the threat of the virus in those specific communities, and to require all travellers entering Wales from overseas to undertake a COVID-19 test on arrival at Cardiff Airport.

Now, the first of those issues has now been addressed, and, as of Monday, people in Wales in shops and other indoor public spaces have now had to wear a face covering. This policy change is very welcome, and I'm pleased to see the Welsh Government finally accepting the merits of face coverings and supporting the calls of opposition parties on this matter. Of course, Ministers could and should have acted sooner, particularly as evidence continued to grow regarding their potential benefits. For example, the Welsh Government's own technical advisory group updated its advice on face coverings on 11 August this year, noting that face coverings will reduce the dispersion of respiratory droplets and small aerosols that carry the virus into the air from an infected person, whilst providing some protection to the wearer. Indeed, both the SAGE Environmental and Modelling Group and the World Health Organization have also made it clear that face coverings have an important role as part of a package of prevention and control measures that can help limit the spread of the virus.

It, therefore, begs the question why didn't the Welsh Government act sooner? And I know that Members across this Chamber were calling on the Government to do so. The mandatory use of face coverings in shops and other indoor public spaces could have had a significant impact on communities had the policy been announced a few months ago. The Welsh Government continue to tell the people of Wales that's it's taking a cautious approach to tackling the virus, and so it really made no sense not to use all the tools at its disposal to limit the virus as much as possible. Whatever the reason is behind the Welsh Government's delay in bringing forward a mandatory face covering policy, the important thing now will be ensuring that the changes to the rules are properly enforced to help reduce transmission of the virus. According to recent polling by YouGov, people in Wales are less likely to wear face masks than people in England or Scotland, which really highlights the need for consistent advice from the Welsh Government in order to reduce community transmission.

Now, whilst the Welsh Government has made it clear that the use of face coverings in shops and other indoor public spaces is mandatory, that same leadership has not been shown in relation to schools. Instead, the Welsh Government's current guidance recommends face coverings for all members of the public over 11 years in indoor settings in which social distancing cannot be maintained, including schools and school transport. So, that begs the question, if the use of face coverings is mandatory for shops, why isn't it mandatory for schools? If the science has led the Welsh Government to introduce face coverings in shops, why not schools and colleges? Why does the Welsh Government feel the need to make the decision for shops and some indoor spaces, but in the case of schools and education providers, the responsibility was put on local authorities and individual providers? Therefore, I hope, in responding to today's debate, the Minister will be frank and upfront about why the Welsh Government has delayed in making the use of face coverings mandatory in some public areas. And I hope the Minister will also tell us why the Government chose to make the decision in relation to shops, but not schools and colleges. 

The second point of our motion calls on the Welsh Government to use local lockdown measures in response to significant increases in COVID-19 infection rates, and to ensure that those lockdowns are proportionate to the threat level posed in those communities in order to avoid a full Wales-wide lockdown. We know that in May, the Welsh Government made it abundantly clear that it wouldn't consider localised lockdowns, because, at the time, it argued that different rules could cause a great deal of confusion for people across the country. Indeed, the finance Minister actually went on to say that one of the strengths of the Welsh Government's message was that it was a very clear message applying equally across Wales. Clearly, the Welsh Government has changed its position on localised lockdowns and, as a result, Caerphilly has been locked down to help stem the spread of the virus in that community, and we hear today, of course, that that has also happened in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Of course, Members will remember that local restrictions were not considered in Wrexham following a spike in cases in July, despite the area seeing the second largest increase in cases in the UK. Now, we have made it clear on this side of the Chamber that we support the introduction of local restrictions to help stem significant increases in local community transmission and to help reduce the risk of any outbreaks becoming a national issue. However, it is absolutely crucial that the Welsh Government monitors any localised lockdown to ensure that it's effective and proportionate to the threat that the virus poses in that area. Therefore, perhaps in responding to this debate, the Minister will provide some further information regarding localised lockdowns—what discussions he's having with local authorities about the transmission of the virus in their areas—and perhaps he will also tell us a bit more about how the Welsh Government is monitoring the effectiveness of local lockdowns as things progress.

Dirprwy Lywydd, that brings me to the final part of our debate, which calls on the Welsh Government to require all travellers entering Wales from overseas to undertake a COVID-19 test on arrival at Cardiff Airport. When Caerphilly was put into a localised lockdown, the health Minister made it very clear that the rise in cases was partly linked to people in the area returning from holiday, which has resulted in the virus recirculating within the local community. Therefore, at that point, surely it was critical that the Welsh Government ensured that passengers were tested once they arrived in Cardiff Airport.

Indeed, in the health Minister's statement today on Rhondda Cynon Taf going into lockdown tomorrow, he makes reference to the fact that this has been necessary because of increases in new cases that have been driven by people returning from summer holidays in continental Europe. As Members are aware, airport testing is taking place across the world, and so, airport testing here is entirely feasible. Indeed, across the border, Labour MPs have actually campaigned for airport testing to take place in England. And yet, the airport in Britain that the Labour Party actually have control over has yet to actually test a single person. The shadow Home Secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, is right to say that a robust testing regime in airports could minimise the need for those returning from countries with high coronavirus prevalence to quarantine for two weeks.

As Members are aware, I raised this issue with the First Minister yesterday afternoon, and he made it clear that practical issues have to be addressed, and that discussions are continuing with the management at Cardiff Airport. Therefore, perhaps the Minister can pass that information on to his party colleagues in Westminster, since they are so keen to push ahead with a testing regime in airports quickly. And, perhaps the Minister can tell us what exactly are the practical issues that need to be ironed out at Cardiff Airport, and when we are likely to see any progress on this issue.

Dirprwy Lywydd, if I can briefly turn to some of the amendments tabled to this motion. Of course, with regard to amendment 1, since the debate was tabled, the Welsh Government has changed its position on the use of face coverings, and I am pleased that the Government has finally listened to our calls on this issue. We will, of course, be supporting amendments 6, 7 and 8, which seek to strengthen the motion and call on the Welsh Government to provide a COVID-19 plan for the coming period, explore the use of smart lockdowns in response to localised clusters, and urgently address issues within the current testing regime.

Therefore, in closing, Dirprwy Lywydd, at the heart of this debate is a desire to forensically examine Wales's COVID-19 prevention and control measures, and to consider what more needs to be done to protect the people of Wales and limit the spread of the virus. I believe that Members are all pretty much on the same page here, and I know that we all share the aim of eradicating this awful virus from our communities and minimising its impact on our constituents. But, it's clear that more can and needs to be done.

Dirprwy Lywydd, I hope that the Welsh Government will consider the proposals in our motion today and bring about testing at Cardiff Airport as a matter of urgency. No stone should be left unturned in protecting our communities and minimising the impact of COVID-19 in our communities. Therefore, I urge Members to support our motion.