Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:51 pm on 26 January 2022.
I'd like to thank Jenny for her intervention. However, we do need to start to learn to live with COVID. We don't put masks on in school for any other type of infection or disease that comes forward, so I don't think that is needed at the moment. And I echo the words of the shadow Minister for education, Laura Jones, who's been vocal against the decision by this Labour Government to make schoolchildren continue to wear face masks until March. This Government is passing the buck of responsibility on to our schools and creating differences across Wales, where some schools have no masks and others have masks. This Government must take responsibility and stop treating children differently to the rest of the population. We are seeing the damaging mental health figures in young people coming out, and forcing children to wear masks is not helping the situation. We've already heard about the CAMHS waiting list times; this is all because our children are under pressure time and time again.
Welsh Labour Ministers overreacted to omicron. We cannot just keep having restrictions when other parts of the UK are opening up. And sadly for the people of Wales, Welsh Labour's decision recently has been all about the politics and not about the science. Just today, Welsh Government announced plans to reduce isolation periods to five days; something to celebrate, but weeks behind the curve, which has caused problems for young people and also those people working in England. And we in the Welsh Conservatives are the only party calling for freedom, freedom and openness in this Senedd, as others in this Senedd continue to toe the Welsh Labour Government line.