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Hefin David is the Labour Senedd Member for the Caerphilly constituency.
After a short but sharp firebreak lockdown, we are now seeing Wales opening back up under a new set of national restrictions. Non-essential businesses can operate again; we can travel throughout our beautiful country and it’s wonderful to be able to reunite with family and friends.
I know first-hand the difference this makes to the lives of so many people. Especially the people in my constituency of Caerphilly, where we had been living the restrictions longer than any other part of Wales.
We need to remember that coronavirus hasn’t gone away. We should all continue to follow the rules as best as we can, whilst enjoying available freedom. If each of us takes the time to think about what we can do individually to reduce the spread, we will fare well over the coming months.
Every small choice we make will add up to make a huge impact on how we can manage the infection rate and how we can protect our most vulnerable loved ones.
There is talk of a promising vaccine on the horizon and although I am hopeful, I believe we should treat this announcement with caution and continue to abide by Welsh Government guidelines. On Tuesday, I asked the First Minister what plans he has to prepare Wales for a potential vaccine.
The First Minister made very clear that “there are very important further steps that have to be taken before that vaccine, or any of the other vaccines in development, might finally come to fruition. We will still be fighting coronavirus for many months to come”.
Mark Drakeford advised that meetings with UK Government confirm that Wales “will receive our population share of any vaccine, once it becomes available”.
The planning for its storage and distribution will be in the hands of Welsh Government, which the First Minster said has been in planning for some months now.
When we get to a point where there is a vaccine that is genuinely safe and known to be so, we will be prepared and ready here in Wales.
As always, if you live in the Caerphilly constituency and would like to raise anything with me, you can do so on Hefin.David@senedd.wales or follow me on Facebook (facebook.com/hefindavidam) for weekly topical updates, including a regular Facebook Live Q&A.
Please stay safe and stay well.
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