Here's the latest Argus column by Torfaen MP Nick Thomas-Symonds:

THE coronavirus crisis is the single most important issue facing us in the months ahead.

First and foremost, following the medical advice available on Public Health Wales is so important (https://phw.nhs.wales), and there are daily updates as the situation changes.

Please follow that advice to help keep yourself and others safe by helping slow the spread of the virus.

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There’s been much talk of panic buying and other negative aspects of society in the face of this crisis. But hard times also show the best of our communities.

Thank you to all those who have done so much to support our community: our frontline staff, from emergency service workers to local authority staff, and school staff who have worked in such difficult circumstances to keep schools open until their recent closure.

Our NHS staff and care workers deserve particular praise for their dedication to their role of caring for people. It is at time like these that the value of public services, and the public servants who work in them, is shown to be priceless.

In the wider community, I am also grateful to those who are selflessly volunteering to help others: you are a credit to us all, and I know our strong sense of community will get us through this.

There is no hiding that this is a worrying time for us all. I’ve been pressing the UK Government on issues such as the level of testing for Covid-19, and the financial package available to ensure we can get through this crisis together.

It’s absolutely vital that the Government’s rhetoric of “doing whatever it takes” is made a reality, and that household incomes and businesses can be protected through this crisis, with vulnerable people looked after.

There is, however, something that we can all do, and that is to keep talking. As people self-isolate, that does not mean they cease communicating with others. We do have a society with so many different means of staying in touch.

During the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 to 1920, such means of communication simply did not exist. So if you do nothing else after reading this column, please get in contact with a friend or relative who is currently on their own to see how they are. We need to keep an eye on each other’s mental health as well as physical health. Keeping people’s spirits up is going to be one of our most important tasks in the difficult months ahead.

- You can contact me on 01495 740498 or via nick.thomassymonds.mp@parliament.uk