Item 9 is next, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No.5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No.9) Regulations 2022. The Minister for health is to move the motion. The Minister for health isn't here to move this item. Therefore, I will pause on that. I will slow down deliberately, as you can hear, in the hope that she will appear, but she isn't present. Therefore, that item is not put forward at present.

Item 10, therefore, is the next item, the legislative consent memorandum—[Interruption.] As the Minister Jane Hutt hasn't moved that motion formally, I will go back to the Minister for health, if she is ready now, to move the motion to the Senedd and to apologise for not being here at the exact time that she was meant to be here, but she has appeared within a few seconds of that. So, I will call on the Minister for health to move the coronavirus regulations. Eluned Morgan.

Motion NNDM7984 Lesley Griffiths

To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1. Approves The Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2022 laid in the Table Office on 13 April 2022.

Motion moved.

Apologies, Llywydd, and apologies to the Senedd.

Llywydd, I move the motion before us.

While I hope Members will have enjoyed the Easter recess, they will not have forgotten that coronavirus is very much still with us, and I'm pleased to announce that hospitalisations have stabilised over recent weeks. However, numbers remain high. In context, on 22 April 2022, there were 1,360 COVID-related patients in hospital—just over 1,070 higher than at the same point last year. The latest results from the Office for National Statistics coronavirus infections study suggests that one in 15 people in Wales had COVID-19 for the week to 16 April. This is a decrease in the percentage of people testing positive compared to the previous week. Rates remain high across all parts of the United Kingdom, but the percentage of people testing positive has decreased across all four nations of the United Kingdom in the most recent week.

We will be carefully reviewing the figures over the coming weeks, due to the increase in social mixing over the Easter break. Before us today are the latest amendment regulations, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (No. 5) (Wales) (Amendment) (No. 9) Regulations 2022. Whilst the coronavirus situation does seem to be stabilising, rates of infection remain high and pressures on the NHS are still very significant. For this reason, Cabinet agreed to retain the requirement for face coverings to be worn in health and social care settings for a further three weeks. This aims to help protect the most vulnerable and staff working in these higher risk settings.

As of 18 April 2022, businesses and organisations are no longer legally required to undertake a specific coronavirus risk assessment and to take reasonable measures to minimise the risk of contracting the virus. With legal requirements on businesses having been removed, Cabinet also agreed that the additional powers of local authorities to close or control premises and events are no longer proportionate. Therefore, the Health Protection (Coronavirus Restrictions) (Functions of Local Authorities) (Wales) Regulations 2020 expired also on 18 April 2022.

Removing the legal requirements doesn't mean that businesses and employers don't need to consider the risks associated with coronavirus. However, it is time for them to assess these risks alongside other transmittable diseases, including flu and norovirus. We have amended public health advice to businesses, employers and event organisers to help them to continue to implement effective control measures for public health, safeguarding their businesses, their staff and visitors.

Advice to the public remains that face coverings should be used in all busy indoor locations. Our guidance advises a number of other control measures that people and organisations can put in place to reduce transmission of coronavirus and to safeguard Wales. Some of these measures include vaccination, having good hand hygiene, testing and self-isolating when you have symptoms, wearing a face covering in busy indoor locations or enclosed spaces, meeting others in outdoor spaces, and, when you are indoors, to ventilate properly. And these rules will be further reviewed by 5 May.

As we always do, we will continue to make decisions to safeguard the health of the people of Wales based on the scientific evidence and the public health advice available to us. I encourage Members to support this motion.

Thank you very much to the Minister. I only have very few comments. First of all, I welcome the fact that the advice that is given to the Government is still suggesting that we can move gradually towards lifting the safety measures that have been in place. We do need to consider that there are people who are very nervous still about the situation. So, one question: as the requirements in terms of risk assessments in workplaces are withdrawn, what safeguards can the Government suggest for a workforce that is perhaps concerned that there isn't sufficient support for them, if, for example, there is a high number of cases within a specific area or within that workforce in question? The fact that there is a need for face coverings still in health and care settings is something that I welcome. The advice for people to wear a face covering in busy areas is still very important. That still continues to remind us to think about those people who are nervous, perhaps because they are vulnerable, and in that workplace perhaps we need a word or two of affirmation from the Government that their well-being is still being borne in mind by the Government. We will support this change today. One other request: can we have an update on where we are in terms of rolling out the next level of vaccinations? The programme has been very successful, but people are eager to know when their next vaccination will be. Perhaps this is an opportunity for the Government to give us an update on that.

The Minister for health to reply to those comments.

Thank you very much, Rhun, and, certainly, we are very much aware that there are still people who are still very anxious, and that's why it is important that people do follow the advice that we've put forward, and I listed that at the end of my contribution—ensuring that people are vaccinated, of course, is the most important thing. But. in addition to that, we all know what we need to do to keep ourselves safe, and we need to remind people of that. Employers need to encourage people to do that. I'm pleased that the Senedd is still advising us to wear face coverings when we are indoors, and that is important, and that's certainly what we want to see as a Government.

In terms of vaccination, well, of course, many people have already been been vaccinated in care homes, so there's a target we're working towards. Many people over 75 have also had that vaccination. We haven't seen as many children coming forward, perhaps, as we'd expected—those are children between five and 11 years of age—but what we're looking at now is the preparation for the next phase in the autumn. We're waiting to hear from the JCVI. There will be advice issued, interim advice. What we've asked the service to do is to prepare for groups 1 to 9. If that advice isn't given, then it's easier for us to cut that provision, rather than try and take it forward from a standing start, and that's what we've asked the health services to consider.

I thank the Minister. The proposal, therefore, is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? No. Therefore, the motion under item 9 is agreed.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.