Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:35 pm on 6 October 2021.
Thank you, Llywydd. I was very pleased to see that the number of positive COVID tests in schools had reduced significantly over the past week—and I'm sure you yourself were also pleased with that—a reduction of 44 per cent. But schools continue to be in a very vulnerable position, of course, with some classes with as many as 50 per cent having tested positive for COVID. The Welsh Government's chief scientific adviser, Dr Rob Orford, has drawn attention to another issue of concern, namely the fact that the reemergence of other respiratory conditions that were prevented during the last lockdown could cause problems in future months. That is, children could be infected by COVID and another respiratory illness—flu, colds and so on and so forth. Now, this is a concern. Can you give us an assessment, or is the Government carrying out an assessment, of this particular risk, related to a lack of immunity among children? And in light of that, what steps will you take in order to ensure that schools are safe places over the winter?