When I first raised the issue of this new virus emerging in China, and its potential to threaten these shores, I didn't believe that nearly 10 months later we would still not have a grip on it. This is partly down to the rules, which can be very confusing. One constituent contacted me recently confused as to why she could no longer meet friends socially distanced in her garden, but it was okay to go to the pub with them. She doesn't want to go to a pub and place herself at greater risk of contracting the disease, so she loses one of the lifelines that is keeping her mental well-being healthy.

We don't need complicated rules, we just need to stick to keeping 2m apart from those not in our immediate family, wash our hands regularly and wear a mask in public places. If you contract the disease, or have been in close contact with anyone who has, then you isolate for two weeks. Nothing complicated. This disease is spread by people in close contact with each other, and if we all socially distanced then this disease wouldn't be spreading like it is. Keeping people 2m apart is what will break the chain of transmission, not complicated rules for different parts of the country or a string of endless lockdowns or firebreaks, or whatever you want to call them.

This week, we learned promising news about the second vaccine under development. However, even if that goes to plan, it could be at the very least another year before everyone in this country receives a vaccine, so we can't pin our hopes on vaccinations just yet. As I've said many times, we have to learn to live with this disease, and develop a new normal so that people can go on living their lives as best they can under the circumstances.

It is going to take us generations to recover from the economic damage that COVID-19 has brought with it. We can't keep shutting down our economy. We should at this stage be conducting wide-scale testing and tracing of those who have the virus, and ensuring that they can safely self-isolate. And we should be ensuring that there is strict adherence to social distancing rules. At the start of the pandemic, we saw strict limits to numbers of people allowed into our shops and supermarkets, but in recent weeks it appears to have become in some places a free for all, and shops and supermarkets need to limit the numbers of people allowed in the store at any one time.

Finally, throughout this pandemic, one group has been sorely neglected: those who have had COVID-19, and far too many people have been left with life-limiting conditions as a result of the infection. These people have had next to no support, and one of my constituents, a dentist, told me that he is unsure if he will be able to return to work because the virus has destroyed his lungs. He finds breathing difficult and suffers from terrible fatigue. He is incontinent and has lost in excess of 15kg in weight, even though he was at the ideal weight before this. He is only 28, yet his doctor, when he's gone to his doctor for advice, has practically told him this is just anxiety and that he has to come to terms with it. This case is far from unique, so we have to ensure that those suffering from long COVID are taken seriously, and get the support that they need to go forward and return to a sort of normal life as best they can.

So, COVID-19 is a tremendous challenge, but we can learn to live with it if we put the right support mechanisms in place. Diolch yn fawr.