6., 7. & 8. The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 14) Regulations 2021, The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 15) Regulations 2021 and The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 16) Regulations 2021

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:48 pm on 21 September 2021.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 4:48, 21 September 2021

(Translated)

We in Plaid Cymru don't oppose these regulations either. They have moved Wales towards a zero alert level, bringing more normality into people's lives across the country, which is to be welcomed, of course. But, as we know, we can't take anything for granted, as cases increase once again, and there are questions that need to be answered by the Government about the current situation and how the situation could develop in the future. And it is a cause for concern for everyone to hear about the increasing pressure on intensive care units in the Hywel Dda area, for example. So, please let me take this opportunity to ask you about the current situation.

The effort to vaccinate as many people as possible continues to be vital. Could I ask you about the COVID passes in order to understand a little about the logic behind your decision to move towards introducing these passes in some situations? Could you explain to the Senedd is the main aim in introducing these passes to push vaccination levels higher, and do you think that your plan will reach that objective?

Since the introduction of the pass before the summer for international travel, Plaid Cymru and others have raised the issue of having access to the system through the medium of Welsh. So, could I ask you when that Welsh-medium service will be available to have a COVID pass? We also hear about cases from the the National Union of Students Wales about some students failing to have a COVID pass because the system can't deal with the fact that a student has had one vaccine in Wales and one in England. And so, when will that problem be resolved in a satisfactory way?

And finally, could I ask you about the ozone machines and the use of those within schools? When I asked the First Minister about the use of those machines last week, I was led to understand that a rapid review was being undertaken by the technical advice cell to look at those concerns that had been raised about the safety of those machines. So, could I ask you to provide an update? Has a review been undertaken, what were the recommendations, and what will you be doing following that report? Many experts believe that it would be much better to focus our resources on other means of preventing the spread of the virus, and it would be better to have more resources for monitoring air quality and ways of moving air around buildings. Thank you very much.