English: Can I thank you for that, Minister, and thank you for mentioning Merthyr Tydfil in your response to Rhun ap Iorwerth? Because I was very disturbed, but not surprised to hear reports over the weekend of significant numbers of people testing positive for COVID-19 at the Kepak meat processing plant in Merthyr, and perhaps even more alarmed to find that this has actually been going on since around April time. You'll be aware that I've been concerned for some time about the levels of COVID infections in the Merthyr area, which have been worryingly high, even when infections elsewhere in Wales have been falling, and I've been asking what work epidemiologists have been doing on identifying the causes. I've always had concerns about Kepak due to their working practices, their lack of social distancing and how they were going to ensure the safety of workers who were working closely together and in conditions where the virus thrived. And Gerald Jones MP and I wrote to the company about this at the beginning of lockdown, and while we received assurances from the company, the unions and the staff there remained concerned about what was going on. I'm aware that Public Health Wales, Merthyr council and the Health and Safety Executive met yesterday to discuss the COVID infections linked to Kepak, but what my constituents will want to know is whether the high levels of infections across the area are in any way related to this factory, and if so, what action is now being taken to close down this operation, isolate the staff and ensure that we have no further spread beyond the people that are employed there.
Welsh: A gaf fi ddiolch i chi am hynny, Weinidog, a diolch am sôn am Ferthyr Tudful yn eich ymateb i Rhun ap Iorwerth? Oherwydd roeddwn yn bryderus iawn, ond nid oeddwn yn synnu wrth glywed adroddiadau dros y penwythnos am niferoedd sylweddol o bobl yn profi'n bositif am COVID-19 yng ngwaith prosesu cig Kepak ym Merthyr Tudful, a chefais fy mrawychu mwy fyth o bosibl wrth ddeall bod hyn wedi bod yn digwydd ers tua mis Ebrill mewn gwirionedd. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fy mod wedi bod yn bryderus ers peth amser am lefelau heintiau COVID yn ardal Merthyr Tudful, sydd wedi bod yn ofidus o uchel, hyd yn oed pan oedd lefelau heintiau mewn rhannau eraill o Gymru yn disgyn, ac rwyf wedi bod yn gofyn pa waith y mae epidemiolegwyr wedi bod yn ei wneud ar nodi'r achosion. Rwyf bob amser wedi bod yn bryderus ynghylch Kepak oherwydd eu harferion gweithio, diffyg trefniadau cadw pellter cymdeithasol a sut roeddent yn mynd i sicrhau diogelwch gweithwyr a oedd yn gweithio'n agos at ei gilydd ac mewn amodau lle roedd y feirws yn ffynnu. Ac ysgrifennodd Gerald Jones AS a minnau at y cwmni ynglŷn â hyn ar ddechrau'r cyfyngiadau symud, ac er inni gael sicrwydd gan y cwmni, roedd yr undebau a'r staff yno'n parhau i fod yn bryderus ynglŷn â'r hyn oedd yn digwydd. Rwy'n ymwybodol fod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, cyngor Merthyr Tudful a'r Awdurdod Gweithredol Iechyd a Diogelwch wedi cyfarfod ddoe i drafod heintiau COVID sy'n gysylltiedig â Kepak, ond yr hyn y bydd fy etholwyr am ei wybod yw a yw'r lefelau uchel o heintiau ar draws yr ardal yn gysylltiedig mewn unrhyw ffordd â'r ffatri hon, ac os felly, pa gamau a gymerir yn awr i gau'r gwaith, ynysu'r staff a sicrhau nad oes unrhyw ledaeniad pellach y tu hwnt i'r bobl a gyflogir yno.