Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, for the opportunity to provide Members with the latest information about the public health situation and the outcome of last week’s review of the coronavirus regulations.

Since my last update three weeks ago, there has been a reduction in overall rates of infection in Wales. They have fallen back from very high levels that we saw at the end of October, thanks to the hard work of everyone across Wales. However, we aren’t out of the woods yet. Cases remain high across Wales at around 500 cases per 100,000 people, people are continuing to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and, very sadly, the latest data shows that over 250 deaths have been registered involving the virus in Wales in the past three weeks.

Our healthcare system is under intense pressure at the moment from the combination of pandemic and winter pressures; from a spike in emergency demands while also trying to catch up with the treatment and operations that were postponed earlier in the pandemic. Our NHS and care staff are doing a fantastic job under extraordinary circumstances. I want to thank them for everything that they do every day. They continue to play a crucial role in our response to the pandemic, whilst also caring for those who need help.

Wales will remain at alert level zero for the next three weeks. There'll be no further changes to the suite of protections that we have in place. We will not be extending the use of the COVID pass any further at this time. But, we will continue to keep it as an option to help keep hospitality businesses open and trading through the winter months and the busy Christmas period.

We will continue to work with the sector. Our aim is to keep Wales open and to keep Wales safe. Cases may have fallen back from the record high rates we saw just a few weeks ago, but the pandemic is far from over. A fourth wave is sweeping across Europe and many countries are introducing new restrictions to control the spread of coronavirus. Austria started a 20-day full lockdown yesterday, and will make COVID vaccinations compulsory from February. Germany is considering following suit after introducing new restrictions for unvaccinated people in many areas. Slovakia introduced a lockdown for the unvaccinated yesterday. The Czech Government is limiting access to a range of services, and the Netherlands has a partial lockdown in place.

Closer to home, the Republic of Ireland has introduced new protections following a surge of cases. These include a midnight curfew for hospitality, working from home and an extension of its COVID pass to theatres and cinemas. In Northern Ireland, a COVID pass will be introduced for hospitality, nightclubs, events, cinemas and theatres, and the Executive is considering further restrictions to reduce rising cases. In Scotland, the Government is deciding whether to extend its vaccine passport to indoor cinemas and theatres. I believe that they have decided that they won't be doing that at this stage.