Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots CBE, said:
“I strongly welcome the report published today by the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee, which has examined the ways in which inequalities have exacerbated the impact of Covid-19 on particular groups and calls for action from the Welsh Government across a number of key areas.
“I particularly welcome the committee’s calls for action to reinstate, protect and promote people’s rights, which was a key issue I raised when I gave evidence.
“The wider issues highlighted in the report, and the related recommendations, reflect the concerns that have been raised with me by older people throughout Wales during the pandemic, and many older people are worried that they may be ‘left behind’ as Wales begins to move forward.
“It is crucial that the Welsh Government responds positively to the report and its recommendations and takes the action required as a matter of urgency to ensure that older people, and other groups at risk of inequality and discrimination, are not further marginalised by Wales’ response to the pandemic.”
