Council ponders move for own Test & Trace system
PANDOR: WE NEED EFFECTIVE ACTION TO HELP COMBAT VIRUS
KIRKLEES Council is investigating setting up its own localised Covid-19 test and trace scheme, to help harder-toreach communities.
The move follows a similar decision by neighbouring authority Calderdale.
A council spokesperson said it was in “the very early stages”.
However, council leader Clr Shabir Pandor said the authority would look “very seriously” at anything that could help it target action and tackle the virus. He added: “Local contact tracing might prove to be effective and, if it is, we will look to implement our own system.”
There have been concerns about potential holes in the Government’s national programme to test and trace people that have come into contact with the coronavirus.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, the local authority with the highest infection rate in England, has similarly set up its own tracing system.
Most recent figures show it currently tops the league table with 91 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Leicester, Oldham and Bradford.
Calderdale is ninth, with 30 cases per 100,000 people - an increase of seven. Kirklees is 12th with 21 cases per 100,000 people - and no increase.
The borough’s infection rate figures have been decreasing in recent weeks, which has led many to question the Government’s rationale for re-imposing lockdown restrictions on Kirklees. The Government’s surprise announcement on the eve of the Eid weekend covered Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and the City of Leicester. Clr Pandor called the timing “insensitive”.
Outlining the authority’s plans, a council spokesperson said: “We’ve worked closely with Public Health England on the Test and Trace system in Kirklees since its introduction, helping to make sure as many people as possible are contacted.
“We’re committed to doing everything we can to protect people in Kirklees and to bring our infection rates down.
“So, we are in the very early stages of looking at the benefits of establishing our own contact tracing system to complement the national system.
“In particular, we would like to use the data available to identify where in Kirklees has it been harder to contact people, so we can take target action to improve this.”
Speaking last week in reaction to the Government’s announcement that Kirklees would return to lockdown, Clr Pandor said: “I cannot see a clear rationale for this decision now, as our infection rate figures have been coming down over the last few weeks.
“It feels as though Kirklees has been singled [out] without any reasonable or solid evidence base and many have told me we are being treated totally unfairly.”
Leader of Calderdale Council, Clr Tim Swift, said their system is being developed to build on the national system and is expected to be in operation “very soon.”
Clr Swift (Lab, Town) said the council had doubled its local testing in the last week, as it was key to helping stem the spread of the virus.
“Testing is a really important first line of defence in controlling the spread of Covid-19, and we’re working hard to make it easier for more people to get tested in Calerdale.
“We have doubled our local testing in the last week, focusing on areas with the highest infection rates.
“We’re working together with other local organisations, including the voluntary sector, to encourage people across our communities to get tested if they have symptoms,” he said.
He said having more of its own test and trace capability meant the council’s local knowledge came into play.
“We are also working with community groups and Public Health England to develop a local contact tracing service, which will build on the national system and we expect to be up and running very soon.
“This will mean we can use our knowledge of local communities to reach more people, and ensure that residents have the support they need to self-isolate if required,” he said.