Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:02 pm on 1 December 2020.
I want to thank the First Minister for this very important statement. The situation, as he describes, is very serious. A vaccine will come along in a couple of months, but not yet. The vast majority of people have stuck rigidly to the guidelines and made sensible decisions, and Government must continue to take the people with them. I recognise the huge responsibility that lies with the First Minister—it falls to few to have responsibility for life and death. People, by and large, accept necessary infringements of liberty, as they have seen the pictures of people in hospital beds, in intensive care bed units, and deaths from COVID. But we still need test results back in a day; that's still not happening everywhere.
Now, students of Welsh history will doubtless be aware of the strong temperance history in Wales. But as to a total ban on pubs selling alcohol, First Minister, I need a rebuttal to inform my constituents. People want to know why, in one short sentence. Diolch.