10., 11. & 12. The Coronavirus Act 2020 (Alteration of Expiry Date) (Wales) Regulations 2022, The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 7) Regulations 2022 and The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 8) Regulations 2022

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:31 pm on 29 March 2022.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 5:31, 29 March 2022

(Translated)

The Minister said this afternoon that we can't keep these regulations in place forever. I agree entirely, and if we were to have this vote in three weeks' time, I'm sure that we would support it. But with people still feeling vulnerable and nervous having to go to a shop or travel by bus or train, why create greater risk for them now?

The other safeguard that is being scrapped entirely now is the requirement for people to self-isolate. Again, why do that now? The only reason that I can think that you would want to do that is to help make public services and so on sustainable by getting people who are testing positive to go to work regardless, because, remember, there won't be LFT tests available from Friday free of charge. There won't be a test; if there isn't a test, there won't be a positive test, and if there isn't a positive test, no COVID, so off to work you go. Could the Minister confirm that that is indeed the intention? And if somebody does test positive, if they don't feel ill, they will be under a great deal of pressure, I'm afraid, to go to work. That's why the TUC have said today that they are disappointed with this decision. It will change that relationship between the employer and the employee. If safety is the priority, as the Welsh Government has stated throughout this pandemic, why not wait a little bit longer for this wave to be over? It doesn't make sense to me, and it doesn't make sense to the high number of people who have contacted me and, I suspect, a number of other Members since the announcement on Friday of last week.