3. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Update on Coronavirus

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:00 pm on 22 June 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 3:00, 22 June 2021

Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to pay tribute to our fantastic vaccine programme and everyone who has made it such a success. The very latest figures show that 88.7 per cent of adults have had their first dose and 60.2 per cent have had their second. Between now and mid July, we'll be putting an extra 0.5 million vaccines into the system. We'll be focused on offering a second dose to everyone in priority groups 1 to 9 over the next four weeks. That's everyone over 50, all healthcare workers, social care workers and other vulnerable groups, including, of course, care home residents. And, subject to supply, we’ll be bringing forward appointments for the people over 40 so that they don’t have to wait longer than eight weeks between their first and second doses. Now, to achieve this, we will need everyone’s help to encourage people to come forward and complete their two-course course. One vaccine is not enough; we need everyone to have two.

Dirprwy Lywydd, although there will be no substantial changes to the coronavirus regulations for the next four weeks, we have made some small amendments to make sure that the rules are easier to understand. And these include changing the regulations so the size of a venue—together with a risk assessment—will determine how many people can attend an indoor wedding or civil partnership reception or wake. We've begun reopening residential outdoor education centres, starting with primary school-age children. We have amended the regulations to bring grass-roots music and comedy venues into line with the rules for hospitality. And we've also updated the regulations so that they reflect the latest evidence about how businesses can take all reasonable measures to reduce risk on their premises and clarify the rules about 2m distances for groups of six people.

We will continue to run our programme of pilot events in theatre, sport and other sectors during June and July, testing large numbers of people to see how and when they gather safely and what the effect of that is.

We have also issued updated guidance in a number of important areas, including hospital visits and for places of worship. And we've published a statement by our scientific advisers about the use of face coverings in schools, although there'll be no immediate change in their use.

Dirprwy Lywydd, I'll close by saying that we're once again at a crucial point in this pandemic. Vaccinations offer us real hope of a different relationship with the virus. It may be possible to respond to this wave without having to introduce stricter lockdown measures, if we can break the link between infection and hospitalisation. Vaccination may also help us move beyond the pandemic phase and end this cycle of imposing and unlocking restrictions. But, for the time being, we will continue with our cautious, data-driven approach to responding to this ongoing pandemic. Diolch.