English: Here in Wales, we have had some of the longest periods of restrictions on our social activity in the world, so it is little wonder that we have experienced some of the greatest impacts. We are, for the most part, social animals, and spending time with friends and family is a vital part of our emotional and mental well-being. Having to cut all face-to-face contact for a staggering 212 days has seen far greater numbers of people suffering from loneliness and isolation, and those suffering from loneliness have been further isolated. The halt to care home visits has left many people struggling, and this has been particularly hard for dementia patients. They don't always understand the reason behind the restrictions and feel they've been abandoned by their loved ones. This is also traumatic for the families of those in care. It must be heartbreaking to be unable to visit their loved ones, especially for those on palliative care. Loneliness and isolation haven't just hit the elderly hard, they've impacted on people across the age spectrum, people from all walks of life, and with many people working from home or furloughed, often the only time they see another human being is over a video link. But a Zoom meeting cannot replicate in-person interactions. This is particularly true for young people - young people who have had not just their ability to go outside and play with their friends curtailed, but their education and development stunted. What has been more damaging, however, has been the on-again, off-again in-person learning, as well as the inconsistent approach across the age ranges. People do not understand why their siblings can go to school, but they have to stay home. Some school pupils returned to the classroom a few weeks ago and more cohorts returned this week, but others will not return for another month. Children have experienced anxiety about returning, and parents are reporting that their child has developed behavioural issues. And it's a terrible burden for young people to bear. Young people are concerned about their education, their future, and many parents have reported finding their child in tears because they're worried about passing the virus on to their parents or grandparents. I find it heartbreaking that children must deal with such issues and that they must be concerned about their future, rather than being able to enjoy the present. Yet, they're not alone in being anxious about the future. So, to combat the disease, we shut down large parts of the economy, closed entire sectors, resulting in many people becoming out of work, and, thankfully, we had the job retention scheme that saw millions of people furloughed, rather than laid off. But those people are worried about whether the business they work for will survive post pandemic. Anxiety about future economic stability has pushed many people into mental ill health. Far too many sleepless nights have resulted over people's concerns about providing food and shelter for themselves and their family. However, mental trauma hasn't been confined just to those out of work. Working during the pandemic has been stressful for many, especially those who could not maintain social distancing. Police officers, prison guards, firefighters and all those on the front line in health and social care have put themselves at risk of contracting a deadly disease in order to keep us all safe. And those working in the NHS and care homes have also had to deal with seeing their patients and sometimes colleagues lose their lives to COVID-19. So, we have seen harrowing tales of doctors and nurses likening work during the pandemic to being in a war zone, so great was the death toll. Nurses had to work for hours in painful PPE, doing physically demanding tasks, such as turning COVID patients so they didn't drown from fluid on their lungs. They then had to sit with patients as they died, so that they wouldn't face their end alone. Witnessing such dreadful things has taken its toll, with staff unable to take time off to recuperate because there's no-one to take their place. Thankfully, most people do not have to experience that level of mental trauma, but very few have come through the past 12 months unscathed. COVID-19 may have started as the biggest public health challenge in more than a century, but it is now becoming the biggest mental health challenge we have ever faced, also. So, what can we do about it? I welcome the investment by the Welsh Government to offer online cognitive behavioural therapy to everyone in Wales over the age of 16, but we must do so much more. We need to employ an army of therapists and counsellors. We have to put counsellors in every school, encourage every employer to offer emotional and mental health support to their staff. We have to ensure everyone in Wales gets whatever support they need. We need to encourage landlords to allow tenants to keep their pets. This might seem like a strange request, but it's no coincidence that pet ownership skyrocketed during lockdown. Pets can help us deal with loneliness and isolation, and having a dog can spur people to leave the sofa and go out for a walk, helping to boost our mental health resilience. Unfortunately, a lot of landlords, and particularly social landlords, prevent pet ownership. I've been dealing with Tai Tarian, who refused to allow one of my constituents to get a dog. Thankfully, I learned last night that she has been granted an emotional support dog, following pressure from her GP. But people should not have to fight for emotional support. We must be flexible and provide whatever support is needed. Tai Tarian is no exception, but pleasingly not all social landlords are negative towards pet ownership, as in the case of Hafod Housing, who look at the size of your accommodation and that determines the size of the dog that you can have. Yesterday, the Royal College of Physicians called upon the Welsh Government to deliver on their commitment to make staff health and well-being a national priority, and I agree with this. Health and care staff looked after us, so we must look after their mental well-being. Unless we tackle the emotional and mental fall-out of the coronavirus pandemic head on and now, we will see a lot more than one in four of us suffering from mental ill health. Diolch yn fawr. Thank you very much.
Welsh: Yma yng Nghymru, rydym wedi cael rhai o'r cyfnodau hwyaf yn y byd o gyfyngiadau ar ein gweithgaredd cymdeithasol, felly nid yw'n syndod ein bod wedi profi rhai o'r effeithiau mwyaf. At ei gilydd, rydym yn anifeiliaid cymdeithasol, ac mae treulio amser gyda ffrindiau a theulu yn rhan hanfodol o'n llesiant emosiynol a meddyliol. Mae gorfod torri'r holl gyswllt wyneb yn wyneb am 212 diwrnod wedi gweld niferoedd llawer mwy o bobl yn dioddef unigrwydd ac arwahanrwydd, ac mae'r rhai sy'n dioddef unigrwydd yn teimlo'n fwy ar wahân. Mae atal ymweliadau â chartrefi gofal wedi golygu bod llawer o bobl yn ei chael hi'n anodd, ac mae hyn wedi bod yn arbennig o anodd i gleifion dementia. Nid ydynt bob amser yn deall y rheswm dros y cyfyngiadau ac maent yn teimlo eu bod wedi eu hanghofio gan eu hanwyliaid. Mae hyn hefyd yn drawmatig i deuluoedd y rhai mewn gofal. Rhaid bod methu ymweld â'u hanwyliaid yn dorcalonnus, yn enwedig i'r rheini sy'n cael gofal lliniarol. Nid yr henoed yn unig sydd wedi'u taro'n galed gan unigrwydd ac arwahanrwydd, maent wedi effeithio ar bobl ar draws y sbectrwm oedran, pobl o bob cefndir, a chyda llawer o bobl yn gweithio gartref neu ar ffyrlo, yn aml iawn, yr unig dro y gwelant fod dynol arall yw dros gyswllt fideo. Ond ni all cyfarfod Zoom cymryd lle rhyngweithio wyneb yn wyneb. Mae hyn yn arbennig o wir am bobl ifanc - pobl ifanc sydd wedi gweld eu gallu i fynd allan a chwarae gyda'u ffrindiau wedi'i leihau, ond sydd hefyd wedi gweld eu haddysg a'u datblygiad wedi'u grebachu. Yr hyn sydd wedi bod yn fwy niweidiol, fodd bynnag, yw'r dysgu wyneb yn wyneb ysbeidiol, yn ogystal â'r dull anghyson o weithredu ar draws yr ystodau oedran. Nid yw pobl yn deall pam y caiff eu brodyr a'u chwiorydd fynd i'r ysgol, ond bod yn rhaid iddynt hwy aros gartref. Dychwelodd rhai disgyblion ysgol i'r ystafell ddosbarth ychydig wythnosau'n ôl a dychwelodd mwy o garfannau yr wythnos hon, ond ni fydd eraill yn dychwelyd am fis arall. Mae plant wedi teimlo pryder ynglŷn â dychwelyd, ac mae rhieni'n dweud bod eu plentyn wedi datblygu problemau ymddygiad. Ac mae'n faich ofnadwy i bobl ifanc ei ysgwyddo. Mae pobl ifanc yn poeni am eu haddysg, am eu dyfodol, ac mae llawer o rieni wedi dweud eu bod wedi gweld eu plentyn yn crio oherwydd eu bod yn poeni ynglŷn â throsglwyddo'r feirws i'w rhieni neu neiniau a theidiau. Rwy'n ei chael yn dorcalonnus fod yn rhaid i blant ymdopi â phethau o'r fath a bod yn rhaid iddynt boeni am eu dyfodol, yn hytrach na gallu mwynhau'r presennol. Ac eto, nid hwy yw'r unig rai sy'n poeni am y dyfodol. Felly, er mwyn ymladd y clefyd, fe wnaethom gau rhannau helaeth o'r economi, cau sectorau cyfan, gan arwain at lawer o bobl yn colli eu gwaith, a diolch byth, cawsom y cynllun cadw swyddi a welodd filiynau o bobl yn cael eu rhoi ar ffyrlo yn hytrach na'u diswyddo. Ond mae'r bobl hynny'n poeni a fydd y busnes y maent yn gweithio iddo yn goroesi ar ôl pandemig. Mae pryder am sefydlogrwydd economaidd yn y dyfodol wedi arwain at salwch meddwl i lawer o bobl. Arweiniodd llawer gormod o nosweithiau di-gwsg at bryderon ynglŷn â darparu bwyd a lloches iddynt hwy a'u teuluoedd. Fodd bynnag, nid yw trawma meddyliol wedi'i gyfyngu i'r rhai sydd allan o waith yn unig. Mae gweithio yn ystod y pandemig wedi bod yn straen i lawer, yn enwedig y rhai na allent gadw pellter cymdeithasol. Mae swyddogion yr heddlu, swyddogion carchardai, diffoddwyr tân a phawb sydd ar y rheng flaen ym maes iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol wedi rhoi eu hunain mewn perygl o ddal clefyd marwol er mwyn ein cadw ni i gyd yn ddiogel. Ac mae'r rhai sy'n gweithio yn y GIG a chartrefi gofal hefyd wedi gorfod ymdopi â gweld eu cleifion, a'u cydweithwyr weithiau, yn colli eu bywydau i COVID-19. Felly, rydym wedi gweld hanesion dirdynnol am feddygon a nyrsys yn dweud bod nifer y marwolaethau wedi golygu bod gwaith yn ystod y pandemig yn debyg i fod ar faes y gad. Bu'n rhaid i nyrsys weithio am oriau mewn cyfarpar diogelu personol poenus, gan wneud tasgau corfforol heriol, fel troi cleifion COVID fel nad oeddent yn boddi yn yr hylif ar eu hysgyfaint. Yna bu'n rhaid iddynt eistedd gyda chleifion wrth iddynt farw, fel na fyddent yn wynebu eu diwedd ar eu pen eu hunain. Mae gweld pethau mor ofnadwy wedi gadael ei ôl, gyda staff yn methu cymryd amser i ffwrdd o'r gwaith i wella gan nad oes neb i gymryd eu lle. Diolch byth, nid oes raid i'r rhan fwyaf o bobl brofi'r lefel honno o drawma meddyliol, ond ychydig iawn sydd wedi dod drwy'r 12 mis diwethaf heb unrhyw niwed. Efallai fod COVID-19 wedi dechrau fel yr her iechyd cyhoeddus fwyaf mewn mwy na chanrif, ond erbyn hyn dyma'r her iechyd meddwl fwyaf inni ei hwynebu erioed hefyd. Felly, beth y gallwn ei wneud yn ei gylch? Rwy'n croesawu'r buddsoddiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru i gynnig therapi gwybyddol ymddygiadol ar-lein i bawb yng Nghymru dros 16 oed, ond mae'n rhaid inni wneud cymaint mwy. Mae angen inni gyflogi byddin o therapyddion a chwnselwyr. Mae'n rhaid i ni roi cwnselwyr ym mhob ysgol, annog pob cyflogwr i gynnig cymorth emosiynol ac iechyd meddwl i'w staff. Rhaid inni sicrhau bod pawb yng Nghymru yn cael pa gymorth bynnag sydd ei angen arnynt. Mae angen inni annog landlordiaid i ganiatáu i denantiaid gadw eu hanifeiliaid anwes. Efallai fod hyn i'w weld yn gais rhyfedd, ond nid yw'n gyd-ddigwyddiad fod perchnogaeth ar anifeiliaid anwes wedi codi i'r entrychion yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud. Gall anifeiliaid anwes ein helpu i ymdopi ag unigrwydd ac arwahanrwydd, a gall cael ci sbarduno pobl i adael y soffa a mynd allan am dro, gan helpu i hybu iechyd meddwl. Yn anffodus, mae llawer o landlordiaid, ac yn enwedig landlordiaid cymdeithasol, yn atal perchnogaeth ar anifeiliaid anwes. Rwyf wedi bod yn ymdrin â Tai Tarian, a wrthododd ganiatáu i un o fy etholwyr gael ci. Diolch byth, clywais neithiwr ei bod wedi cael ci cymorth emosiynol, yn dilyn pwysau gan ei meddyg teulu. Ond ni ddylai pobl orfod brwydro am gymorth emosiynol. Rhaid inni fod yn hyblyg a darparu pa gymorth bynnag sydd ei angen. Nid yw Tai Tarian yn eithriad, ond mae'n braf nad yw pob landlord cymdeithasol yn negyddol tuag at berchnogaeth ar anifeiliaid anwes, fel yn achos Tai Hafod, sy'n edrych ar faint eich preswylfa a bydd hynny'n pennu maint y ci y gallwch ei gael. Ddoe, galwodd Coleg Brenhinol y Meddygon ar Lywodraeth Cymru i gyflawni eu hymrwymiad i wneud iechyd a llesiant staff yn flaenoriaeth genedlaethol, ac rwy'n cytuno â hyn. Fe wnaeth staff iechyd a gofal ofalu amdanom ni, felly mae'n rhaid i ni ofalu am eu llesiant meddyliol hwy. Oni bai ein bod yn mynd i'r afael â niwed emosiynol a meddyliol y pandemig coronafeirws yn uniongyrchol ac ar unwaith, byddwn yn gweld llawer mwy nag un o bob pedwar ohonom yn dioddef o salwch meddwl. Diolch yn fawr iawn.