Sadly, we are ending 2020 facing another tough chapter in the story of the relentless struggle with this dreadful virus. Coronavirus has a strong grip on our communities, and our public services are struggling with the scale of the pandemic. We continue to see large numbers of people fall ill and, sadly, many deaths. And who knows what this new strain of the virus may bring. It's a practical, economic and emotional crisis, and my thoughts go to all those families who have lost loved ones, to businesses that are struggling to keep afloat, to people who have lost their jobs, and to people who are struggling with their mental health in these most challenging times. I also want to place on record yet again my thanks to all those workers on the front line whose daily challenge of dealing with the ever-increasing pressures I can only imagine. 

But can I also thank you and your Cabinet, First Minister, for the difficult decisions that you've faced and that you've taken this year, often in the face of unkind, unfair and personalised criticism? As you know, I follow football, and as a fan on the terraces, I know how easy it is to shout criticism from there, but it's never quite as easy to deliver success on the actual playing field. But the actions that you have taken have been taken to try to save lives and protect the people of Wales as best you can, and I thank you for that.

Like others in this Chamber, I've attended a number of briefings over recent weeks with the health boards, councils, and the police services that cover my constituency. The briefings are stark and the situation we currently face is severe. The most recent briefing I attended on Friday last week was with Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board. It wasn't just sobering; it was distressing. To have such a dire situation laid out so plainly about what is happening in my community was something I never thought I would have to listen to. I've said this before, Dirprwy Llywydd, but when I stood for election in 2016, it was because I wanted to help improve the lives of the people in Merthyr Tydfil and Rumney. And yet, today, I'm facing the reality of 170 COVID cases per 100,000 population, and a test positivity rate of almost 30 per cent in Merthyr Tydfil alone, and the number of ICU COVID patients last week outnumbered the number of ICU COVID beds available at Prince Charles Hospital. So, what's clear is that our NHS is reaching that point that, in truth, we'd hoped to avoid, so we must act; doing nothing is not an option. One of the two health boards in my constituency has already announced that they're having to suspend some non-routine services, and I suspect the other health board will follow suit. That in itself will bring further problems down the line, but what choice do they have? The voices on the front line are telling us that they are at breaking point.

Dirprwy Lywydd, in my constituency, the mass test pilot seems to be suggesting that over 3.5 per cent of the population could be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. As a result, the partners delivering this pilot have decided to extend the testing programme for a further week, and I welcome that decision. I certainly hope we can do more of this testing, and it is without doubt an important tool in identifying cases and having a better opportunity to reduce the spread of the virus and to identify what is happening in our communities until we see the benefits of the vaccination.

So, what is my conclusion from all this? Well, I'm of the view that in a pandemic crisis, the best way that I can meet the needs of my constituents is to support all the actions that can drive down the infection rates. In that way, we might win back some of that space that allows people and our systems to cope. Only by driving down those infection rates will people be able to see normality return to their lives. Only by driving down those infection rates will many of those small businesses that have been struggling so badly—particularly in the hospitality and tourism sectors—be given the opportunity to recover.

What we need to do will not be popular with everyone. The right decisions are often not the popular decisions, but now more than ever, those right decisions have to be taken. That is why we've seen responsible Governments across the world taking very difficult decisions to deal with this. In many of those countries, lockdown has been harsh and immediate because they, like the Welsh Government, understand how serious this is.

Dirprwy Lywydd, at this point, I'm certainly not in this for popularity. I will do what I have to do to help the Welsh Government and others to save lives. So, my message to Welsh Government is clear: please take all the necessary actions that you can to help our front-line workers to cope with the months ahead. Please take all the necessary actions that you can to help our communities recover from this virus, and please take all the necessary actions that you can to help our businesses recover, so that when this is all over, people have jobs and livelihoods to return to. And for those actions, First Minister, you will have my full support.