At the beginning, I would like to thank all of those people who are working tirelessly in so many sectors to keep us safe. The very public thanks at the beginning of the pandemic was a clear characteristic of that time, and we need to sincerely thank those people again. 

So, turning to the motion, it is a sensible motion on the whole, I have to say. I don't agree with everything in it, but it is a sensible motion. I can't help but draw attention to the irony of who put forward the motion and some of the comments that we've heard from the Conservatives. It's fair to say that the Welsh Government has been at its best in this pandemic when it has not been tied to the activity and attitude of the Conservative Government in Westminster.

I hope that the Conservative Members in Senedd Cymru agree with me that mistakes or confusion in the messages from Boris Johnson and his Government have been very damaging in the battle to keep deaths down. From rushing back to normality when that wasn't possible to, of course, one prominent figure ignoring the restrictions. There's been an opinion poll that suggested that Dominic Cummings's behaviour had been a turning point in public attitudes. It was seen as a licence for people to do whatever they wanted to do, and I'm sure that has cost lives. 

Also, if I may say, we have a motion here, a sensible one, that is encouraging the Government to be sensible, but the materials that have been published by the Conservatives on social media, the tweets and the memes and so on, suggest a kind of bravado that is contrary to this sensible and responsible approach that's being encouraged.

I'll turn to the amendments. We reject amendment 1 because we believe that the international evidence has shown for a long time that face coverings can be a very important tool in the battle against the virus. They're not enough in and of themselves, of course, but we don't understand why the Welsh Government has been so slow in compelling the use of face coverings in shops and so on. But better late than never in that regard. We know that there is room to extend this further, but once again the Government has rejected this, and we are not entirely sure why. 

Turning to amendment 2, our first amendment—I think it's self-explanatory. Let us learn lessons about international travel and its impact on the spread of the virus, because it's obvious that there is a problem here, and that we do need to understand that better. 

Now, amendment 3, the Government's amendment—we won't be supporting that. I think that, in reality, there has been a practical problem, yes, in testing every traveller, but as technology develops, as capacity is increased, and in being aware of the problems with travellers returning from abroad, there is genuine value in the principle of testing every traveller.

Amendment 4—we agree with that. We have been calling for accommodation to be provided for those who are quarantining and self-isolating to safeguard families. It's important for those families and those extended families, of course. We've seen wide-ranging use of this kind of facility in places such as Italy and China. 

And the other four amendments are from Plaid Cymru. Amendment 5, as I've noted—we support the wearing of face coverings. We can't understand why we wouldn't do that.

Amendment 6 calls for a new COVID plan. We're constantly learning. We need a plan that reflects the change in our understanding of the disease and what activities and locations are dangerous. I haven't been convinced that the plan for the winter that was published yesterday reflects the latest science. 

Amendment 7—again, it's self-explanatory, and is something that Labour in Westminster hasn't had any problem in calling for. So, hopefully Labour will support it here in Wales as well. We need greater testing capacity. We've seen this over the past few weeks. We need greater capacity in Wales so that the Welsh Government has control over the ability to provide for the population here. 

Amendment 8—at a time when an entire council area, Rhondda Cynon Taf in this instance, has been placed under new restrictions, we do believe that looking at smart local lockdowns is something that genuinely needs to be considered. A general lockdown is certainly damaging, and by now I think we do have the ability to target these restrictions. So, there we are.

So, a few comments on where we are at the moment—