COVID-19 Rates in South Wales East

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:23 pm on 3 November 2021.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:23, 3 November 2021

Well, thanks very much for that question. You are absolutely right that the rates amongst younger people are particularly high. The rates in Gwent, for example, in the 10-19 age group, are around 2,300 per 100,000. I mean, you think about the levels there, and that was in the week ending 17 October. So, clearly, we were quite pleased to see half term coming, because hopefully that's given us a degree of relief. The education Minister is obviously keeping a very close eye on the situation within our schools. That is why, in the last 21-day review, we tightened up the guidance and provided a new schools toolkit. What we're trying to do is to be proportionate. And, of course, there are examples where perhaps some schools should be tightening up that are not, but you do have to remember that the Children's Commissioner for Wales, for example, was very clear that, actually, wearing a mask is not necessarily beneficial to the children. So, we've got to get the balance right here. So, if the incidences are low, and there are some schools where the incidences are low, then perhaps it would be slightly over the top to ask them to wear face masks. But, that toolkit should give people a bit more of a sense of when they should be requesting that pupils wear those face coverings.