Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:44 pm on 2 February 2021.
Thank you, Presiding Officer, and, with your permission, I'd just like to put on the record that our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the three fishermen who are still classed as missing off the north Wales coast, and our gratitude to the search and rescue teams who have been out tirelessly trying to give some comfort to those families in trying to seek out their loved ones. I'm sure all Members' thoughts and prayers are with the families of Alan Minard, Ross Ballantine and Carl McGrath, who are still listed as missing off the north Wales coast.
First Minister, could you tell me the current state of the pandemic? Because in your earlier response to the question from Suzy Davies, you clearly indicated that we have a long way to go before we can declare the pandemic at an end. We had the Office for National Statistics figures out today about deaths in Wales, and in particular in north Wales, each and every one a tragedy, and our thoughts are with the families who've lost loved ones. And today we have the assessment on the new mutant strain of the Kent variant. So, I think it's important for us to try and understand what your assessment is of the current pandemic and the journey we have to continue on here in Wales.